Craiova International Shakespeare Festival
WILL matters
May 21–31, 2026 | Craiova, Romania
For over four centuries, the universe of William Shakespeare has continued to live, transform, and reinvent itself—because each generation has chosen to embody “the stuff of dreams.”
Shakespeare matters because there is a living community that keeps his work alive.
In 2026, Craiova becomes that community:
a city vibrating in unison, where the festival belongs to each and every one of us.
About the Festival
The Craiova International Shakespeare Festival takes place from May 21 to May 31, 2026, under the theme WILL matters—an invitation to rediscover will as creative energy.
For 11 days, Craiova transforms into an open stage, where theatres, streets, public spaces, and unexpected urban corners pulse with performance, imagination, and dialogue.
Theme: WILL matters
WILL matters starts from a simple yet powerful idea:
through will, what we think and dream becomes reality.
Today, Shakespeare matters not as a monument of the past, but as a living force, continuously renewed through performance and through the eyes, emotions, and presence of the audience. The festival celebrates will as impulse, courage, desire, resistance, and transformation—on stage and beyond it.
A Total Urban Experience
The festival is a total urban experience, where Craiova vibrates simultaneously across multiple spaces and rhythms.
It is an event in which every participant has a place and a voice:
- spectators
- artists
- volunteers
- partners
- the city itself
The festival is not only attended—it is lived and co-created. Each encounter, performance, and shared moment contributes to a collective Shakespearean experience that belongs to the entire community.
Join the Experience
From international productions and innovative interpretations to city-wide events and participatory moments, the Craiova International Shakespeare Festival invites you to be part of a shared act of will—one that keeps Shakespeare alive, urgent, and profoundly contemporary.
🔗 Full programme:
https://shakespearefestival.online/en/program/