Biography

MIHAI CIUPE, associate professor of set design, is originally from Romania. He received a double MFA degree in costume and set design from Carnegie Mellon University and his BA from Ion Andreescu Academy of Visual Arts, in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. During his MFA program he was granted with the George Kimberly Scene Design Award and the Oren Parker Award in Design and Production. Prior coming to the United States he was a resident designer at The National Theater of Cluj-Napoca. During his former years, he traveled extensively in Europe in tours with the shows that he designed, getting exposure to the various schools of theater from England, Scotland, Hungary, France, and Yugoslavia. Mihai was an assistant professor at both The Academy of Theater and The Academy of Music in Cluj-Napoca. As a designer he worked with some of the greatest Romanian directors: Gabor Tompa, Alexandru Dabija, Iulian Visa, Mihai Maniutiu, Victor Ion Frunza. In 1991 he received a scholarship to attend The London International Festival of Theater. Since 1995 he is a member of The Association of Romanian Fine Artists in the scene design section. You can find more about his professional work  at his personal website  www.stagedesignciupe.com/