The German State Theatre Timișoara performed to full houses the two showings of Sidy Thal, written by Thomas Perle and Clemens Bechtel, and directed by Clemens Bechtel, which took place at Theaterhaus Stuttgart. The production was created in collaboration with our colleagues from the State Jewish Theatre in Bucharest.
The two performances of Sidy Thal on the Stuttgart stage were more than just plays – they represented a bridge of memory between Timișoara and the German audience. The story of Sidy Thal, a Jewish actress from interwar Timișoara, brings back to life fragments of history and collective identity, turning the play into a meditation on the fragility of fate and the power of art to keep memory alive.
The fact that both performances were sold out confirmed not only the Stuttgart audience’s interest but also the universal relevance of the theme – survival through culture and resistance through art. The success there became a moving recognition of the strength with which the German State Theatre speaks about the past as well as the present, from a deeply human and ever-relevant perspective.
The tour was made possible through collaboration with the Romanian Cultural Institute. The project “Theatre, Education, History – Sidy Thal – a Touring Production” is co-financed by the Romanian Cultural Institute through the Cantemir Program – a funding program for cultural projects aimed at the international environment. The Romanian Cultural Institute is not responsible for the content of the project or the way in which its results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding recipient.
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 Timișoara Theatre. An antisemitic attack carried out by the Iron Guard, a far-right nationalist group, claimed four lives and injured another 70. An event little known in Timișoara and Romania, it was researched by playwright Thomas Perle and director Clemens Bechtel with the help of Maria Mădălina Irimia from the Center for the Study of the History of Jews 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, leading to the horrors of World War II and the Shoah.
The cast was a mixed ensemble, consisting of actors from TGST and TES. The artistic team included Enikő Blénessy, Viorica Predica, Katia Pascariu, Rareş Hontzu, Mircea Dragoman, Richard Hladik, Mihai Prejban, Boris Gaza, Oana Vidoni, Daniela Török, and Olga Török. They were accompanied in both performances by musicians Mihai Pintenaru (clarinet) and Mihai Murariu (piano).
After each Stuttgart performance of Sidy Thal, the audience had the opportunity to take part in a discussion session with the artistic team. The fact that a large portion of the spectators chose to stay and ask questions turned the event into an authentic dialogue. This interest revealed not only the emotional impact of the play but also the relevance of the themes explored, which strongly resonated with the German audience. The openness to questions and shared reflections confirmed that Sidy Thal is not only a theatrical experience but also an occasion to shed light once again on sensitive themes of memory, identity, and history, still relevant across Europe.
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).
The next performance of the play will take place on October 30, 2025, in Timișoara.
