“Get in front!” “Loudeeer!” “Let’s go again!” “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight… That’s good, well done!” – We hear all these from the speakers in the yard of the “Radu Stanca” National Theatre, where it doesn’t matter whether you are an actor, a director, a stage designer, a sound technician, a volunteer and so on. Everyone here speaks to everyone about anything. The doorman greets every single person with the same smile, both when entering, and when exiting. We are in the TNRS yard, to collect stories from those who proudly wear volunteers’ T-shirts year after year. Their tales are life experiences, and their enthusiasm when talking about the Festival urges one to visit the website and fill in the registration form. Each meeting has become a page in this story, which every year grows longer and longer.
Bogdan Mînzat has a passion for Japanese culture. He worked as a volunteer in Japan and this year it’s his turn to host a Japanese volunteer: “I’ve been a volunteer since 2009. I started with the Red Cross, then the German Forum. I joined the Theatre Festival in 2014. It’s a part of me. Not being here, I’d feel incomplete. I’m not sure I can summarize the time spent in Japan. Those two weeks were full of experiences I would normally only live in the course of a year. From gastronomy to culture, customs, places, the way their life unfolds, that time helped me understand life in a Japanese family. We used to wake up at 7.00. The father cooked and, when it was ready, he called us to breakfast. We had tea all the time: in the morning, at lunch, in the evening, and even between meals. I also noticed that before entering the house people take off their shoes. After breakfast, when we sat at the table together and talked, each one of us went to do their tasks. The Japanese are very clean. Their roads look like they were vacuum cleaned. Maybe this is also due to the intensive recycling. Basically, it’s shameful to throw trash on the street. The Sibiu Festival pushes you out of your comfort zone. You can make life friends here. I couldn’t live without volunteering. It is defining to me.”
Andreea Toader wanted to be a volunteer ever since she was 10. She loved it so much that at the end of each day she described her volunteering experience on her vlog: “An acquaintance was a volunteer and I wanted to become one too. Last year, I finally turned 15 and became a volunteer. I can’t describe how happy I was. I was under a spell. I expected it to be a great experience, but it proved to be so much more. Words would only minimize the whole thing. You are satisfied to see people happy thanks to something you do. I worked from morning till dawn, not because the schedule was built this way, but because I wanted to. I didn’t feel tired at all. I made a lot of friends. The Programme itself insists on communication. The classes are so cool! We even learned to breathe. I realised I didn’t breathe right.
A nice experience was playing a jellyfish. I am rather shy, so I got scared when I heard we had to parade down Bălcescu Boulevard. When I put my jellyfish down and saw children so happy about touching it, I forgot about all the fear and shame. I even appeared in a show on stage in the Big Square. It wasn’t planned that way, we were only informed half an hour before the performance. The Square was full of people. I was proud of myself. Another moment was when the company I was in charge of held a concert and I went to rehearsals with them all day long. I went everywhere with them and got to meet them in person. After the show, the applause went on and on. I was very proud, just like a mother who sees her child is OK.”
At 66, Mr. Vasile Gaidaji is the youngest soul in the Festival: “I am retired. I thought I could make myself useful to society, since I’m in the city all day. The organisers showed sympathy too. I told them I liked to go to conferences and book launches. Every morning, I went to the press conference. And since I went there, they said I could be in charge of Habitus, where things go on until 4-5.00 p.m. When I had time and wanted to see a show or two, I also did supervision. I used to be an engineer. I’ve always liked theatre. My parents took me to the theatre and, in turn, I took my children to the theatre too.
A day in my life as a volunteer is a busy day. Days start early in the morning with a conference, then a book launch, an exhibition, a film. Then, I go to a theatre show, where I find it difficult to scold people. I tell them to stop recording, not to take pictures. Before the performance begins, they are asked to turn their phones off. They should be told directly: Please don’t steal. So, as we supervise the venue, we also see the performance. We also have a flashlight for more serious situations. When you come to the theatre, allow yourself to get lost in the atmosphere. Otherwise, you’re always in front of the computer doing what?”
Daniela Gorduban studies German and Korean at the Faculty of Letters within the “Babeș-Bolyai” University in Cluj-Napoca. She hosted a South-Korean volunteer: “I began volunteering urged by my colleagues, who also told me about the possibility of hosting an international volunteer. I have a huge passion for foreign languages and started learning Korean for pleasure. I knew they had South Korean volunteers, and I decided to host one to improve my speaking. It was a once in a lifetime experience. It opened my eyes to an entirely different culture. It’s a door open to new opportunities. The festival atmosphere totally transforms the city. It’s a change through culture. Looking at the city of Sibiu before, during and after the Festival, you realise it’s a 180 degrees change. We may not acknowledge the wonderful things taking place around us. First and foremost, you discover yourself. FITS made me a totally different person. I now see the world with totally different eyes.”
Țuvic Horia and Ioana Bumbuc are in a rock band called Confusion and they think music and volunteering go well together. “I’ve always liked the Festival. I decided to become a volunteer to see what went on behind the scenes. I am curious to get to know and to talk to both Romanian and foreign artists and acrobats. Outdoor performances have a special draw for me. All my friends joined the volunteering programme. It’s a great thing for people our age.”, Ioana says.
“I started volunteering last year. It was a very nice experience. I realised I had skills I didn’t know about. For me, it was a challenge to put together the schedule for all the candidates of the Human Chain department. Four of us met and designed the schedule in an hour max. What I liked most was the opportunity to meet new people, make new friends. I think the rock band goes very well with the Festival, as they are both means of conveying feelings. I often have trouble expressing myself in words. So, I choose to do it through music.”, Horia adds.
Cristiana Fîntînă is a theatre enthusiast, she has seen almost all the performances of TNRS. This year, she will be in charge of the Faust venue. She doesn’t think she could live without theatre. “I can say this Festival has given me to the world. I learnt about responsibility, communication and self control. Theatre is my only source of relaxation. I go to the theatre every week and simply charge my batteries. I’ve interacted with many personalities you only read about in books or see on TV. You are honoured by their mere ‘Hello!’ I am proud to have shared a table with Ioan Holender, George Banu, whose good friend, Mr. Stiefel, I accompanied everywhere in the Festival. I also had the great honour of meeting the actors of Teatrul Mic in Bucharest.”
Masayo Higashihata comes from Japan. He now lives in the Philippines and 2018 is his fourth year as a FITS volunteer. “I first heard about Sibiu in 2014, while looking for a show in which my favourite Japanese actor performed. I read the article about his show in Sibiu and then found information about the international volunteering programme. I like feeling the energy of the Festival. I like the fresh and clean air of Sibiu. I can inhale deeply and get energy. Every year this happens. Besides, I love the people of Sibiu. They are charming and always helpful. I don’t have to worry about my age (47). This year is going to be memorable. In the future, I wish to borrow the work style of the Festival and set up a festival based on the same principles in my home town.”
Masayo ends this years’ series of fairy-tales, and we are glad that Sibiu has seen the biggest platform promoting non-formal education through performing arts. The Volunteering Programme of FITS was established during the Sibiu European Capital of Culture Programme in 2007. For 10 days, anyone over 16 can enter the mysterious world and the backstage of performing arts. The Sibiu International Theatre Festival changes the city, while the volunteers confer even more meaning and energy to the Festival.
