Prof. Saiu Octavian-Ion

Professor Octavian Saiu is a scholar as well as a professional cultural and academic consultant. He is the President of the International Association of Theatre Leaders (IATL), a global alliance that gathers prominent figures in the field of performing arts, represented in more than fifty countries: https://theatreleaders.org

He holds a PhD in Theatre Studies from the National University of Theatre and Film (NUTF) in Romania, with a thesis about theatrical space, and another PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Otago in New Zealand, with a thesis about Samuel Beckett and Eugène Ionesco. His Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Modern Literature at the University of Otago was funded by the Royal Society of New Zealand, and he was subsequently awarded his European Habilitation (Higher Doctorate) in Theatre and Performing Arts. He has received bursaries, scholarships, and research grants from the EU, the New Zealand Government, the European Science Foundation, the International Association for the Study of Irish Literatures, the University of Otago, etc.

He is a PhD Research Professor in the Doctoral School of Sibiu University, and has been Visiting Professor at universities in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Beijing and Lisbon. He was twice a Visiting Fellow at the University of London (SOAS) and he offered Master Classes and workshops at academic institutions in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

He has been actively involved, as Conference Chair and Invited Speaker, in several major theatre and academic events around the world, including the Theatre Olympics and Edinburgh International Festival, where he was Chair of the Samuel Beckett Conference in 2013. Since 2004 he has been the Chair of the Conferences of Sibiu International Theatre Festival, the largest curated performing arts event in the world. Throughout the years, he has hosted dialogues and conferences with hundreds of renowned theatre artists, from Sasha Waltz, Ohad Naharin, and Akram Khan to Robert Wilson, Robert Lepage, Thomas Ostermeier, and Ivo van Hove. He is constantly engaged in platforms of cultural exchange between China and Europe, particularly the Cultural Silk Road and Wuzhen Theatre Festival. He is a Founding Member of the International Theatre Town Alliance (ITTA) and the Yue Opera Town in Shengzhou.

He has published academic articles in several international journals, as well as fourteen books on theatre. He serves on the editorial boards of various journals and publishing houses. His most recent book publication is Phèdre. D'Euripide à Racine, de Sénèque à Sarah Kane (Lansman Editeur, Bruxelles).

He received the Critics' Award in 2010 and the Award of the Union of Theatre Artists (UNITER) in 2013. In 2020, on the National Day of Culture, the President of Romania awarded him the Order of Cultural Merit.