As in previous years, ticket requests for some shows scheduled in the [b]National Theater Festival[/b] far exceeded the capacity of the theaters. This is due on the one hand to the great number of theatergoers who want to take part in such a wide-ranging event, and on the other to the increasing preference in recent years of theaters and stage directors for productions for small audiences. Following the high demand, the organizers tried – and managed – to secure technical conditions for additional performances of two shows required by theatergoers. Through an interesting coincidence, they come from the same city, Sfântu Gheorghe: [i]First You’re Born[/i], directed by Radu Afrim (to be performed also on Friday, 4 November, at 15.30, at Majestic Hall of Odeon Theater), and [i]The Merchant of Venice[/i], directed by László Bocsárdi, scheduled also for Saturday, 5 November, at 11.00, at Bulandra Theater’s Izvor Hall). Despite the complexities involved by such changes, we are happy to satisfy part of the ever-increasing demand for tickets and hope theatergoers will cause us such “troubles” in the future too! In contrast, the performance of [i]The Seagull[/i] by the Parisian company Théâtre-Studio (directed by Christian Benedetti) has been cancelled from the festival’s schedule. The main reason why this production had been invited to the NTF was the presence of out compatriot Anamaria Marinca in the cast with an exceptional interpretation of Nina Zarechnaya. The cast underwent changes that were not notified to the organizers in due time, among which the substitution of Anamaria Marinca, who during the festival will be shooting a movie in the USA. Under the circumstances, the sole selector of the festival, the theater critic Alice Georgescu, considered that the show no longer fulfilled the artistic criteria that had induced its selection and decided to cancel it from the festival, although it had sold out. The sold tickets will be refunded at the box office of the National Theater. Aware that they have taken an extreme measure, the organizers apologize for the inconvenience caused to Bucharest theatergoers, while at the same time they believe that nothing justifies lowering the quality standards of the National Theater Festival.