Romanian puppeteer and stage director. Liviu Steciuc is one of Romania’s acclaimed puppet theatre directors, known for the innovative character of his staging and the development of a personal aesthetic inspired by a diversity of theatre genres. In 1962, he joined the Puppet Theatre of Brașov (see Teatrul pentru copii Arlechino) where he interpreted many roles and later focused on directing. He was appointed Artistic Director of the company in 1990. His theatrical work was visual, poetic, and highly imaginative yet tightly controlled. Shadow theatre, abstract forms, puppet “assemblages”, playing with light, all constitute his artistic oeuvre.

Among his most acclaimed productions are: Povești de buzunar (Pocket Stories, 1986); Aventurile lui Talion (The Adventures of Talion, 1987); Pescarul și sufleul (The Fisherman and his Soul, 1995).

Liviu Steciuc has collaborated with many theatres and has directed in Craiova (Teatrul pentru copii și tineret Colibri [lier]Colibri Theatre for Children and Youth[/lier]); in Sibiu (Teatrul pentru copii și tineret Gong [lier]Gong Theatre[/lier]); in Chișinău (Moldavia), Baia Mare, Arad, and Botoşani (Teatrul de păpuşi Vasilache [lier]Vasilache Puppet Theatre[/lier]).

He is the recipient of several prestigious Romanian awards: in Bucharest (1977 and 1979); in Timișoara (1984); the ATM Award (Asociația Oamenilor de Teatru si Muzică Association of Theatre and Music Artists) in 1987; and a First Award in Prague.

In 2012, Liviu Steciuc received the prestigious UNITER (Uniunea Teatrală din România Theatre Union of Romania) Award for his lifetime work.

(See Romania.)