theatreGAMES turns Timisoara theatre folk into athletes

Timisoara's end-of-summer event, known locally as theatreGAMES, is not a conventional arts festival but an amateur sports tournament for theatre people, now in its 9th edition. It runs from 27 to 29 August 2026, organised jointly by the Csiky Gergely Hungarian State Theatre and the ProTeszt Association. Actors, directors, technical crews and theatre staff from Romania and neighbouring countries compete alongside members of the public who sign up, across cycling, tennis, table tennis, badminton, the traditional Hungarian archery discipline baranta, five-a-side football, streetball, beach volleyball, athletics, pentathlon, dragon-boat racing, relay, chess and a cooking competition.

Two theatre-adjacent concerts bookend the sport: the Csiky Gergely company's own actors open with a concert-show, and a touring group from the Kosztolányi Dezső Theatre in Subotica, Serbia, performs on the second day.

Registration is open to local companies, independent troupes and the public, with no separation between professional cast and amateur participants once the games begin.