The most important prize of the UNITER Gala was awarded to Constanta State Theatre for the performance "Seaside Stories"

Of the four nominations of the Constanta State Theatre for the UNITER Awards, two have materialized, including the most important award of the Gala - the Best Performance Award.

The UNITER Awards Gala, the most important awards in Romanian theatre, took place at the National Theatre "Mihai Eminescu" in Timișoara, on 12 June, with the show directed by Răzvan Mazilu and the set design by Dragoș Buhagiar, with a Golden Age of Hollywood concept in a sumptuous Art Deco setting.

For the first time in its history, the Constanta State Theatre was represented in four sections: Best Debut - Set Designer Theodor Cristian Niculae, Best Supporting Actress - Nina Udrescu, Best Supporting Actor - Theodor Șoptelea and Best Performance - Seaside Stories. The Gala was preceded by the Audience Bet, which took place online and in which Constanta State Theatre was the winner in all four sections for which it received nominations.

The first award to go to Constanta State Theatre for Seaside Stories was the Debut Award, presented to scenographer Theodor Cristian Niculae. He is at his second scenography realized in Constanta, the first being the one of the show "8 FATHERS" directed by Irisz Kovacs, while he was still a student.

"Thank you to the Constanta State Theatre, thank you to Radu Afrim for having managed to plot together to bring the sea to the stage, thank you to the wonderful actors and thank you to the technical staff, without whom this show would not have existed and without whom the sea would not have reached the stage!", said Theo Niculae on stage at the UNITER Gala.

Constanta had another representative among the award winners, as the UNITER Lifetime Achievement Award, announced a few months ago, went to Carmencita Brojboiu, a set designer who started her career in Constanta and worked for many years at the Hungarian State Theatre in Cluj. Since 2021, Carmencita Brojboiu is a member of the Artistic Council of the Constanta State Theatre and is also Artist Emeritus of the Constanta Theatre.

The award ceremony began with an "open letter" that director Andrei Șerban sent to Carmenci Brojboiu through a video: "Dear Cita, I think of you as a poet who expresses herself through scenography. The stage is like a dream house. When you make a set, you don't describe a reality, you don't explain it, you evoke it. Good theatre evokes (...) You never put yourself in the foreground. You're too modest. And yet we directors need you. I'm glad that tonight you are recognized and celebrated. Congratulations!"

At the end of her award acceptance speech, Carmencita Brojboiu referred to the theatres that marked the beginning of her career: "As this is an award for all my work, I would like to think now about the beginning. My beginning is also very important and it is linked to Constanta, to the Dramatic Theatre of Constanta, the Ballet Theatre "Oleg Danovski", the Puppet Theatre of Constanta, where I think I learned the abc of scenography, together with wonderful, wonderful professionals. Thank you and I wish you all inspiration!".

The nominations of Nina Udrescu and Theodor Șoptelea for Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor respectively are almost as important as the awards in the history of Constanta's theatre and the professional history of the two actors.

The greatest victory of the Constanta State Theatre, an achievement that places this institution in the elite of Romanian theatre, is the Best Performance Award, which is always awarded last in the UNITER Awards Gala because it is the first in order of importance. In competition with two exceptional shows, "Oedipus the King" directed by Declan Donnellan and "Antonin Artaud. Familia Cenci" directed by Silviu Purcărete, "Seaside Stories" by Marius Chivu, Lavinica Mitu, Dan Alexe, Simona Goșu, Tudor Ganea and Nicoleta Dabija, directed by Radu Afrim won the grand prize.

It is an unprecedented performance of the Constanta theatre. The prize was awarded by one of Europe's most prestigious directors, Oskaras Korsunovas from Lithuania.

Erwin Șimșensohn, director of the Constanta State Theatre, was on stage at the gala in Timișoara, along with the stage designer and several actors from the cast.

After awarding the UNITER trophy to actress Nina Udrescu, Erwin Simsensohn said, "Constanta is having a good year. Farul came out champion, now this... Cita (set designer Carmencita Brojboiu) took the award for lifetime achievement... Radu Afrim, thank you for what you did in Constanta, you created an extraordinary show. Radu is in rehearsals, he couldn't make it, we thank him very very much. It's a collective award, it's a performance award. Forgive me, but I have to name those who are on stage and behind this show: Theodor Niculae, scenography; in the cast, those present, I start with them: Nina Udrescu, Mihaela Velicu, Liliana Cazan, Laura Iordan, Lana Moscaliuc, Alina Manțu, Anais Agi-Ali, Iulian Enache, Theodor Șoptelea, Marian Adochiței, Ștefan Mihai, Andrei Bibire, Alex Burcă. Unfortunately, they are not with us, but we are sure that Liliana Ghiță, Mirela Pană, Cristiana Luca, Cătălina Mihai, Remus Archip and Cătălin Bucur are watching us. Mara Oprea, assistant director, Paula Rusu, assistant set designer, Andrei Dermengiu, video and technical direction at the beginning of the show, Alexandru Bibere, lights, Alex Popa and Edi Lupu, sound, Emil Băncilă and the whole team of machinists, Paul Bucur, props, Arina Cocoș, make up, Nina Glință and Aurica Mangu, cabin crew, Tanța Pogonaru, wig maker, Alina Vasiliu, artistic consultant, Otilia Nicoară, new technical director, Mihaela Petrescu, economic director and the whole administrative team, Viorel Urse, technical director and the whole production team. Congratulations to all and thanks to the entire Seaside Stories team! Thank you to the judges - the nominating jury and the final jury - and I want to thank the UNITER team for this great event and for all they do and the way they support theatres across the country! Thank you to the Constanta County Council, to everyone in this institution who supports the Constanta State Theatre! Thank you to the press, to all the journalists in Constanta who support us and are with us in our work. To the audience of Constanta - thank you very much to our spectators, for them we do what we do. A very personal thank you - to Eliza, my wife, and to our two little girls, Linda and Miri, who have been making me commute from Constanta to Bucharest for four years! Ada Lupu (director of the National Theatre "Mihai Eminescu" Timișoara), at the beginning of the gala, paid a tribute to those who built and laid the foundations of this theatre, this building. We, in Constanta, do not have a building. We, the entire team of the Constanta State Theatre, are now paying a tribute to those who will build, at some point, a theatre building in Constanta."