Vasile Alecsandri National Theatre, Bălți
Northern Moldova's national drama company, in a late-Soviet house carrying a sculptural relief 'Theatre'.
The company that became the Vasile Alecsandri National Theatre was founded in Bălți in 1957, building on an earlier Russian-language troupe that had worked in the town since the late 1940s. In January 1990 it was the first theatre in Moldova to be granted national status, and it took the name of the Romanian writer and dramatist Vasile Alecsandri. The purpose-built house, designed by the architect Ianina Galperina, opened on 19 May 1991 and seats 584 in its main auditorium; a large sculptural composition entitled Theatre is set into the façade.
The repertoire ranges from Romanian and international classics to contemporary drama and a substantial programme for children, with productions in Romanian and some in Russian. Recent seasons have included Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire and The Glass Menagerie, Reginald Rose's Twelve Angry Men and a stage version of The Catcher in the Rye, alongside family shows given at midday. The theatre is the principal performing arts venue for the north of the country and is run under the Ministry of Culture.
Highlights
- First theatre in Moldova to be given national status, in 1990
- Main auditorium seating 584, opened in May 1991
- Sculptural composition 'Theatre' set into the façade
- Repertoire in Romanian and Russian, with midday family shows
