The National Radio Theater of Radio Romnia is launching the new eteatru.ro, the largest collection of radio plays in Romania, on Thursday, January 15th, 2026, on National Culture Day. Radu Croitoru, the manager of Radio Romania Cultural, talked about this project in an interview with Cristina Crjan.

What are the innovations brought by the eteatru.ro platform?

The eteatru.ro platform enters the market as an absolute necessity. We live in the age of streaming, we live in an era where people are looking for the products of interest to them, gathered in one place, easy to access and listen to, and of very good quality. In our case, we are talking about radio theater, a famous product that has been produced in Romania, at Radio Romania, since 1928 - soon to be 100 years. It is a product that has gathered, over time, many historical recordings, including the most important names of the Romanian theater scene in Bucharest and across the country. People love radio theater for two reasons. It is now back in style and for the quality of the new recordings, but people also love radio theater out of nostalgia - because they grew up with it, listening to it in their childhood and youth. This product needed a platform where it could be found, its own easily accessible platform, free of charge for the moment, where people could search and browse according to their interests.

The platform also offers a special, extensive section for children. Can you tell us a little more about the products that will be included here?

Many of us grew up with the show Good night, children! Children's theater is a very important part of the National Radio Theater. Todays children spend a lot of time on the internet thats a fact. We will give them the opportunity to spend their time on the internet for a purpose, namely to listen to stories - relevant stories, childhood stories, national and international titles appropriate for their age. We have taken great care of the childrens section, due to this need that the young audience in Romania has. Therefore, both older children, who know how to use the internet, and parents of young children can use the eteatru.ro platform as a very good tool for education, for a good night's sleep, but also for escaping into a childhood story. There will be a vast number of titles.

The launch is taking place exactly on National Culture Day. How do you think the new project contributes to celebrating this moment?

We chose the date of January 15th because it is a relevant one for all of us. As you know, the cultural consumption barometer shows that Romania does not consume much culture, that many people do not have access to culture. They do not have access both because of the high price of certain areas of culture and because there are no instruments through which they can easily access them. Eteatru.ro is a simple, easily accessible resource. Nowadays, everyone has internet access. We chose January 15th to reiterate that Radio Romnias public mission is even closer to being fulfilled following the relaunch of this platform.

What do you consider to be the role of radio theater in the current Romanian cultural landscape?

It is a product that has come back into fashion, it is a very much listened to product. The theater produced by the National Radio Theater team has won international awards for its ideas, its imagination, and its sound. There are new ways of artistic expression through sound at an international level, and Radio Romania, through the National Radio Theater, is at the top, internationally awarded, alongside major European producers and beyond - alongside the BBC, Radio France, and RAI. The role of the Radio Theater is very important. We have recordings - which will also be available on eteatru.ro - of literary works that are included in the Baccalaureate or National Assessment exams. They can be listened to there in masterful, unique interpretations. No one else has those recordings. The purpose of Radio Theater is to provide adults with an escape into the world of Romanian and universal literature. Many people produce - or attempt to produce - a form of radio theater in Romania. Unfortunately, only a few succeed, or there are some very timid attempts. The Radio Romania Theater Editorial Office has a centenary experience - soon, we will celebrate 100 years of radio theater at Radio Romania, and the plays that have built this experience will be available to the public, free of charge, on eteatru.ro.

Could you share with us some thoughts on the role of Radio Romnia - not only as a promoter of Romanian values, but also as a creator of them?

Think about what Radio Romnia offers from a cultural point of view. First of all, it offers two national radio stations. Two national radio stations dedicated exclusively to culture. And by this I mean Radio Romnia Cultural and Radio Romnia Muzical. Think about this editorial office, which has been producing radio theater for 100 years. We are talking about thousands of plays in unique, memorable, historic performances. Think about the Radio Romnia orchestras and choirs, which have been performing season after season for so many years at the Radio Hall. So, the Romanian cultural context is significantly enriched by all these products offered by Radio Romnia. Think about the Casa Radio publishing house, which also produces many high-quality products addressed to culture lovers. I believe that our package, of Radio Romnia, is extremely important at this moment in the market, in a market that consumes very few cultural events and products.