The new season of the German State Theatre Timișoara begins with a tour to Germany, in Stuttgart, with the production "Sidy Thal", written by Thomas Perle and Clemens Bechtel and directed by Clemens Bechtel. This multilingual production, created in collaboration with the Jewish State Theatre Bucharest, will have two performances at Theaterhaus Stuttgart on September 16 and 17, at 8:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively.
The tour was made possible through the collaboration with the Romanian Cultural Institute. The project "Theatre, Education, History – Sidy Thal – a Touring Performance” is cofinanced by the Romanian Cultural Institute through the Cantemir Programme - a funding framework for cultural projects intended for the international environment. The Romanian Cultural Institute cannot be held responsible for the content of this material.
On November 26, 1938, two hand grenades exploded in the theatre hall during a performance by the Jewish Bukovinian singer Sidy Thal and her ensemble at the theatre in Timișoara. It was an antisemitic attack, carried out by the Iron Guard, a far-right nationalist group, in which four people were killed and another 70 were injured. A little-known event in Timișoara and in Romania, this incident was researched by playwright Thomas Perle and director Clemens Bechtel, with the help of Maria Mădălina Irimia from the Center for the Study of Jewish History in Romania – "Wilhelm Filderman" – and turned into a documentary theatre production. What is true? What really happened? "Sidy Thal" is an attempt to reconstruct the attack and the moment when antisemitism and fascism became part of everyday life in a multicultural society, eventually leading to the horrors of the Second World War and the Shoah.
The cast is mixed, consisting of actors from both GSTT and JST. The artistic team includes Enikő Blénessy, Viorica Predica, Katia Pascariu, Rareș Hontzu, Mircea Dragoman, Richard Hladik, Mihai Prejban, Boris Gaza, Oana Vidoni, Daniela Török, and Olga Török. They will be accompanied in both performances by musicians Mihai Pintenaru (clarinet) and Mihai Murariu (piano).
After both performances, there will be discussions with the audience, who are invited to ask questions to the artistic team, the director, and the playwright.
Since its premiere, Sidy Thal has been selected for several national and international festivals, including the 34th edition of the National Theatre Festival in Bucharest (2024) and the 12th edition of the MITEM International Theatre Festival in Budapest (2025).
See you in Stuttgart this September!
