'Shakespeare can speak to everybody': How a theater caravan brings the works of the Bard to audiences across Romania

The theater caravan Shakespeare – everywhere, a project of the International Shakespeare Festival in Craiova and the Shakespeare Foundation, is currently traveling across the country to bring the work of the Bard to audiences who might not otherwise have access to it. More than half of the localities included in the tour are towns and communes that lack theater infrastructure, as the initiative aims not only to present Shakespeare but also to make attending a theater performance more relatable. Vlad Drăgulescu, the president of the Shakespeare Festival and the initiator of the caravan project, told Romania Insider more about the project and how it matters to the public and the organizers.

The caravan began this April in Craiova, the southern Romania city where the International Shakespeare Festival has been taking place for more than 30 years. The festival, which consistently features A-list directors and productions, is organized by the city's Marin Sorescu National Theater, where Drăgulescu serves as artistic director.