Octavian Szalad is a Ph.D. Candidate at the National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” in Bucharest, where he does research on the history of puppet theatre in Romania. A graduate in theatre studies at the same university, he is a theatrologist and theatre critic whose research interests include the history, theory, dramaturgy and aesthetics of the puppetry arts. He serves as an editor for Theatre Today (Revista Teatrul azi) and CONCEPT academic journal (UNATC Press), and collaborates with Critical Stages/Scènes critiques, the journal of the IATC/AICT (International Association of Theatre Critics). His work also includes editing and proofreading contemporary theatre theory and history books and anthologies on contemporary international and Romanian plays for the “Camil Petrescu” Cultural Foundation, as well as coordinating the Essays, Reviews, and Theatre Notes series of the foundation. In 2024, he served as a member of the nominations jury for the UNITER Gala Awards of the Theatre Union of Romania (UNITER), and he is a frequent jury member at various theatre festivals across Romania, including the Gulliver Animation Festival, the Puck International Festival, and the Bucharest Fringe.

Other Publications:

The Puppet Theatre Festival: Formats in Romania

Interdisciplinarity of Themes and Artistic Means in Matei Vișniec’s Drama for Children