A SHOW BY ALVIS HERMANIS BASED ON SIMON AND GARFUNKEL TRACKS

The National Theater Festival opens on 1 November at 18.00 at I. L. Caragiale National Theater in Bucharest with a sunny show made of music and emotions, not words: The Sound of Silence, directed by Alvis Hermanis.

The show brings to light the romanticism in us and is a “step toward the light” itself, according to its stage director, Alvis Hermanis. The Sound of Silence is based on Simon and Garfunkel’s music, who represent (again, in Hermanis’ words) “the absolute utopia, the romantic feelings of the 60s.”

“Fascinated with the past, Alvis Hermanis created a show without words, made of Simon and Garfunkel music videos, in an attempt to reconstruct portions of young people’s lives at a time that we often miss,” the new NTF selector, Cristina Modreanu, says about the show.

A perfect show for yesterday’s romantics, who will revisit their youth, but also for today’s romantics captivated by a “vintage” lifestyle, The Sound of Silence was presented in June 2008 at the Naples Festival, and in August at the Helsinki Theater Festival.

The Sound of Silence will be presented at I. L. Caragiale National Theater (Sala Mare) Saturday, 1 November 2008 at 18.30; Sunday, 2 November 2008 at 18.00; and Monday, 3 November at 18.00. Alvis Hermanis will meet with the audience of the festival and with theater people interested in knowing details about his work style on Monday, 3 November at 11.00 at NUTCA.

About Alvis Hermanis:
Alvis Hermanis was born in Riga in 1965. He is considered the most important European stage director of his generation. Since 1997 Hermanis has been a stage director at the New Riga Theatre, a recently founded theatre with a contemporary repertoire, whose productions are chiefly focused on the work of the actor and show a scrupulous precision in the choice of their theatrical vocabulary and form.
Hermanis was trained as an actor at the Latvian State Conservatory and began directing in 1990. His first projects - Marquis de Sade after Yukio Mishima, The Portrait of Dorian Gray after Oscar Wilde, and Fire and Night after Rainis – were all acclaimed by the critics as “The best production of the season” and announced a spectacular European debut but also tours to Canada and the USA.
In April 2007, the director Alvis Hermanis was awarded the prestigious “Europe Prize for New Theatrical Realities”.