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© ROMATRIAL e.V. 2025
Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz 2, 10178 Berlin
Memorial to the Sinti & Roma Victims of National Socialism
Simsonweg | D-10117 Berlin
Artistic Director
IOANA ELENA URDA
Creative Production Lead
RENATA PUELMA MÜLLER
Festival Producer
JOBINA DIEZ
Festival Producer
SAMUEL GIEBEN
Graphic Design
A project by RomaTrial e.V.
Weydingerstr. 14-16
10178 Berlin
In cooperation with Volksbühne & Icarus
© 2025 RomaTrial e.V.
Last Updated 24.10.31
INTERNATIONAL ROMA THEATRE FESTIVAL
/ kuringa
In Berlin-Wedding, bold ideas, critical views on society from all angles and perspectives can be experienced. To respond to the urgent questions of specific communities, the Theatre Of The Oppressed uses Sound/Rhythm, Image/Movement and Word/Text to impart views on society that are too often silenced. Kuringa amplifies important voices. The group has worked together with „Wir Sind Hier!“ a theatre project for young Roma*, initiated by RomaTrial e.V. in 2021 and toured with the show in 2023.
/ kali x niko g
The duo formed by Niko G and Kali is unique in the Romanian music scene: they are women, they are Roma, they sing rap, and they aim to revolutionize the sexist Romanian music industry. Their powerful lyrics invoke spirits, cast spells and heal, curse their enemies, and claim a space that must be reclaimed by voodoo energy. Their bold rhymes diss haters and speak about sisterhood and women’s power. The two actresses sprinkle empowering messages meant to change the game and announce the talent and creativity of Roma artists on the local music scene.
/ dj tru: l + bogdan d.
TRU:L & Bogdan D. (Smoothin Groovin) are a Romanian selectors duo, living in Berlin, focusing on bridging different, lesser-known musical directions worldwide, including Roma music from the Balkans. Their influences are multiple, creating a dancing environment where people from other parts of the globe would feel represented.
/ cristinel
Cristinel Manole, a musician born in Romania into a family of artists, discovered the stage at the age of six and carries with him nearly four decades of musical experience. After numerous collaborations in Romania, he settled in Germany in 2007, where, together with a Balkan music band, he has captivated audiences across Europe. A true master of the trumpet, he moves gracefully from traditional lăutărească music to jazz and beyond, exploring sounds that weave together tradition and modernity. He currently lives in Berlin, where he continues to bring his music to life through several projects — including a solo one.
/ independent theater hungary
Independent Theater Hungary is reshaping stages: Roma and non-Roma artists use theater to actively fight prejudice, empower youth and make culture accessible to all. Since 2007, they’ve created bold performances and educational programs that challenge stereotypes, encourage dialogue and build a more open society to balance injustices. “[…] [I]f you approach others with empathy […] you can build stronger […] relationships. Instead of focusing on differences or problems, let’s work together to find solutions.”
/ tRaum DA
tRaum DA is an independent theatre company founded in Berlin in 2024 by Romanian director Iulia Grigoriu and actress Ioana Elena Urda. The name tRaum Da (“there is space”&”dream there”) is both a statement and a manifesto: a declaration of presence, resistance, and belonging for Eastern European women navigating the Western cultural landscape. Each tRaum DA production reclaims narratives - speaking about identity, displacement, vulnerability, and solidarity through lived experience. Founded on the belief that theatre is both representation and survival, tRaum Da merges fragility with urgency, intimacy with political awareness, and the body with technology.
/ giuvlipen
Giuvlipen is the first Roma theater company in Romania, founded in 2014 by artists Mihaela Drăgan and Zita Moldovan. “They are the avant-garde of the Roma revolution, a counter-attack, through art and activism - against centuries of oppression.” (Reuters) With numerous participations in national and international festivals, Giuvlipen has made history in contemporary Romanian theater, their art being provocative, experimental, and highly performative. The themes of the performances are diverse, but they have something in common: they openly discuss subjects that sometimes history, sometimes mentality, and social or political constraints have silenced. “In each performance, we aim to reclaim Roma art, history, and cultural identity, through stories told by us, Roma artists.”
/ romplay
Romplay is a self-organized theatre ensemble of ROMED Germany e.V., based in Hamburg.
Its plays grow out of the members’ own stories – experiences, memories, and questions that are rarely told elsewhere. Romplay performs to be seen: as young Roma and Romnja, as hosts of their culture, and as critical voices of their time. Blending humor, pain, and pride, the ensemble creates a space for encounter – a bridge between majority and minority, between past and future. For its work, Romplay has received the Bertini Prize 2025 and the Prize for Civil Courage and Culture of Remembrance. But more important than any award is that their voices are heard. Because Romplay believes: memory stays alive only when it is shared.
/ romano teatro “nexhip menekshe”
The Romano Theater Nexhip Menekshe has been bringing Roma stories to life since 1989. Founded by passionate Roma intellectuals, it celebrates language, music, tradition, and Roma identity on stage. With 28 premieres and hundreds of shows across several countries, the theater blends history with current issues, stirs their unique humor elegantly with serious topics, important to the communities, while their warm storytelling stays in exactly the right temperature. Nexship Menekshe invites kids, youth and adults to laugh, reflect, learn and connect. The mission is simple: keep Romaism alive, inspire new generations, and share Roma culture with the world.
/ romano svato
Theaterkollektiv Romano Svato stands for interdisciplinary forms of theatre that explore Roma culture and identity artistically. It combines performing arts, music and activism into a multifaceted form of expression.
/ talking human company
The “Talking Human” is the pseudonym used by Kristóf Horváth in his new show, Talking Human. He was born in Budapest, where he currently lives and works. He is also known as Színész Bob (Actor Bob) and comes from a theatrical background – which is why he would like to avoid drama, yet it is also something he cannot escape. He is two times National Poetry Slam Championship winner, founder of the Knowledge is Power Group, a countrywide talent education system, and leads drama courses for kids.
/ jo & toby gorniak MBE
Toby Gorniak MBE and Jo Gorniak are multi-award-winning creative changemakers, TEDx speakers, and international performers known for their raw, soul-deep approach to Hip Hop theatre and spoken word. Together they’ve inspired audiences from BBC to Netflix, with Toby featured in Infamia and Jo in Lady Macbeth on world-class stages, & training across New York, Los Angeles, and the UK. As co-founders of The Gorniaks Ltd, they’ve spent over two decades transforming communities worldwide , using Hip Hop culture as a tool for healing, leadership, and unity.
© ROMATRIAL e.V. 2025