The Constanța State Theater (Teatrul de Stat Constanța) is a repertory theater in central Constanța and the only institution of its kind in Dobrogea. Founded in 1951, it stages Romanian and international drama in a building originally created as the Fantasio Theater.
The State Theater began performances in the Elpis Hall, where its inaugural production, I. L. Caragiale’s A Lost Letter, premiered in May 1951. In 1952 the company moved to the former festivities hall of Mircea cel Bătrân High School, which had been adapted for professional theater performances. Over the following decades the institution changed names several times, becoming the Theater of Drama and Comedy, the Drama Theater and later the Ovidius Drama Theater.
Its present home has a separate history. The theater hall on Ferdinand Boulevard was built in 1927 through the support of Demostene Tranulis, a wealthy Greek grain merchant and an important patron of cultural life in Constanța. Tranulis financed the construction of the hall that later became known as the Fantasio Theater, and a commemorative plaque on the façade and a bust inside recall his contribution.
The State Theater moved into the building in 2004, when the Ovidius Drama Theater and Fantasio Theater were merged to form the Constanța National Theater. The institution returned to its original name, Constanța State Theater, in 2007 and has continued to operate here as a repertory company under the authority of the Constanța County Council.
The main auditorium is used for the theater’s regular program of dramatic productions, while a smaller studio hall provides a second performance space. The repertoire ranges from Romanian classics to contemporary and international plays, making the theater one of the principal venues for live drama in Constanța.
