ns,
Hungarian and German theaters thrive beside the Romanian.

Since the end of the rigid restrictions of the 1950s, the performing
arts have been flourishing with talented performers, directors, and
writers. The government has been promoting the presentation of Romanian
plays, and Romanian playwrights have striven to compete for audience
favor with the best of contemporary and classical foreign plays, which
are regularly presented.

Among contemporary playwrights who have achieved critical acclaim at
home and abroad are Paul Everac, D. R. Popescu, Horia Lovinescu, Iosif
Naghiu, and Paul Anghel. Eugene Ionesco, although Romanian by birth, is
generally considered a French playwright since he writes in French.
Romanians, however, proudly claim him as one of their own, even though
his plays do not follow the desired standards of form and content.

Most contemporary plays have been categorized by critics as tribunal
drama in that they pass judgment on ideas or actions and follow a format
where one or more characters take the role of the accused and others act
as prosecutors. Some plays are in the form of confessions of wrongdoings
or wrongthinking. Both forms lend themselves well to imparting a
message. Pure entertainment plays are usually boulevard comedies.
Historic themes seem to be popular and safe topics, particularly if they
promote Romanian nationalism. For the most part, plays are of local
rather than universal interest, for they deal with matters limited in
time and space. They usually arouse interest outside Romania for what
they reveal of the Romanian character and society rather than for
artistic merit.

The tightening of cultural reins in July 1971 seems to have had a
greater effect on the theater than on any other form of artistic
expression. The management of several major theaters was changed in late
1971 following admission by the replaced managers of having favored
artistic merit over ideological value in the selection of plays for
their repertory. The new managers pledged themselves to presenting plays
that contain a clear-cut message conforming to high political,
ideological, and educational standards. They also pledged themselves to
encourage young playwrights to write such plays. In the meantime, the
plays selected for the 1971-72 season were almost all true and tried
classics, devoid of any political implications. Romanian directors,
nevertheless, have shown themselves in the past to be able to im