Adrian Damian is a scenographer, creator of stage spaces and multimedia installations, recognized for his innovative and spectacular work. He stands out for his ability to often integrate elements of technology and new media into his scenographies, transforming them into fascinating interactive spaces. He studied scenography at UNATC Bucharest and, since graduating in 2010, has designed more than eighty productions in all major theatres in Romania, as well as in theatres abroad, including Opéra Grand Avignon in France, JK Theatre Opole in Poland, Espoo City Theatre Helsinki in Finland, Theatre Festival Revelation Astana in Kazakhstan and Staatstheater Braunschweig in Germany.

A special place in his career is held by his collaboration with director Mihai Măniuțiu, with whom he has created more than thirty productions, including Life Is a Dream and Winter, both nominated by the UNITER jury for Best Scenography of the Year; Pirandello Café, winner of the Best Performance Award at the Oradea Theatre Festival; and Rambuku, which received the UNITER Award for Best Performance of the Year in 2018. One of his most important projects was his collaboration with the renowned director Robert Wilson as associate scenographer for the production Rhinoceros at the National Theatre in Craiova in 2014, followed by his participation, in 2017 and 2018, in the Watermill Summer Program in New York. He has received multiple awards, including Best Scenography — UNITER in 2016 and 2021, Best Scenography — Hungarian Theatre Critics’ Association in 2016, Best Scenographer — Union of Visual Artists in 2015, the Man of the Year in Theatre Award, offered by Cotidianul magazine in 2017, and others.

In addition to his work as a scenographer in theatre and opera, Adrian Damian has developed his artistic research in the field of multimedia installations, using new media tools and various technologies. Whether involving neural headsets — Laboratorul de Imaginar, 2017 and 2018 — industrial robots — Who Am I, 2020 — or motion sensors and tracking cameras — Network of Emotions, 2021 — his installations stand out through the depth of the ideas they express and the emotions they convey. In 2023, he represented Romania at the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space — PQ2023 — with the installation The Bridge, a work later exhibited at the Romanian Cultural Institute during the National Theatre Festival.

Since 2022, he has been President of the Romanian Centre of OISTAT — the International Organisation of Scenographers, Theatre Architects and Technicians — a centre he re-established together with a group of artists. In this capacity, he has been involved in several projects and programmes relevant to the profession, such as the Next on Stage conferences, the International Program in Scenography camp, book and album launches, thematic exhibitions he has curated, and many others.

ȘI pitch is a networking and professional development program aimed at emerging artists. Its goal is to support young creators in identifying public and private funding opportunities, as well as in building partnerships with cultural institutions and associations.

For this first edition, three projects were selected, which the teams will present to experts in the cultural field. Each presentation is followed by a Q&A session, as well as panel discussions led by representatives from OISTAT Romania, Fundația 9, the Creative Europe Desk Romania and AFCN.

Through this framework for dialogue, ȘI pitch aims to open up opportunities for collaboration and facilitate young artists’ access to the resources necessary for developing their projects.