Craiova National Theatre Marin Sorescu is one of the city's main cultural institutions. It has a reputation beyond Oltenia, partly because of the International Shakespeare Festival, which brings companies and theatre people to Craiova every two years.
The theatre is most useful to travellers when there is a performance on, but even without tickets it helps explain the city. Craiova is a regional centre with serious cultural life, not just a transport stop between Bucharest and the west.