dedicated to students and pupils had to be organized as part of an independent structure associated to the festival. The aim is that, after 25 years in which over 150 student performances were organized by FITS, those responsible for this section, alongside the management and the teaching staff of the “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, create their own identity, by presenting student performances and organizing workshops, conferences and the Platform of Doctoral Research in the Fields of Performing Arts and Cultural Management dedicated to students and professors. This Drama and Arts Management Convention allowed Romanian and international universities that include schools or departments of performing arts (theatre, dance, choreography, directing, etc.), theatre studies and cultural management to send dozens of students to Sibiu year after year to represent their universities through performances, but most especially to have the chance to take part in active training, by seeing high quality shows from the six continents (Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa, Australia) free of charge, volunteering, being involved in workshops, conferences, seminars. Popularity According to the figures related to the 2019 edition, FITS brought together about 3,300 artists from 73 countries, who presented over 500 events in 75 venues (conventional spaces, like performance halls, university halls, as well as unconventional settings, such as churches, book shops, fortified churches, former factories, high school, cafes, pubs, pedestrian areas, squares, parks, parking lots, and hotels), reaching an audience of over 68,000 spectators per day. 2020 Edition Because of the restrictions imposed in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, FITS had to redesign its format altogether, to avoid having to make the choice shared by other big similar festivals, which had to suspend the editions planned for 2020. By taking advantage of the recent rise of the virtual environment which has contributed to the dissemination of performing arts products, the management of FITS decided for this year’s edition, themed “Puterea de a crede / Empowered”, to take place exclusively online. Thus, in 12–21 June 2020, the FITS programme offered worldwide audiences free access to digital performances and conferences by renowned creators. Some of the highlights of the 2020 edition included: “Brothers and Sisters”, directed by Lev Dodin, “After the Battle”, directed by Pippo Delbono, “Masquerade”, directed by Rimas Tuminas, “Three Sisters”, directed by Peter Stein, “Measure for Measure”, directed by Declan Donnellan, “Messiah”, directed by Robert Wilson, “Körper”, choreography by Sasha Waltz, “Alone in