Saviana Stanescu (www.saviana.com) is a Romanian-born award-winning playwright and journalist with Roma roots, one of the most exciting voices to emerge from Eastern Europe after the fall of the Iron Curtain. Her work has been widely presented in the US and internationally.

Saviana holds an MA in Performance Studies (Fulbright fellow) and an MFA in Dramatic Writing (John Golden Award for excellence in Playwriting (shared with Rajiv Joseph) from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, as well as a PhD in Theatre from the National University of Theatre&Film in Bucharest, Romania. She writes in English and Romanian.

US productions of her plays include “Aliens with extraordinary skills” and "Ants"(both published by Samuel French) at Women’s Project, Ego Actus, B Street Theatre, NJ Rep, etc, “Useless” at IRT Theatre, “For a Barbarian Woman” - a co-production Fordham/EST, “Polanski Polanski” at HERE Arts Center, “Toys” at Hudson Theatre in Los Angeles, "Waxing West" (2007 New York Innovative Theatre Award for Outstanding Full-length Script) at La MaMa Theatre, "Suspendida" and “Vicious Dogs on Premises” (with Witness Relocation) at Ontological Theatre, “The E-Dating Project” at Strasberg Institute for Theatre&Film, the site-specific "I want what you have" at the World Financial Center, and YokastaS Redux (co-authored with Richard Schechner) at La MaMa Theatre.

Recent international productions of Saviana’s plays include “Organic” at the National Theatre in Bucharest, Romania, and “Viza de Clown” at Odeon Theatre. “Aliens with extraordinary skills” (Inmigrantes con Habilidades Extraordinarias) and “Final Countdown” (Cuenta Regresiva) ran for a year in Mexico City at Teatro La Capilla, Teatro El Milagro, and Foro La Gruta.. “Bucharest Underground” won the 2007 Marulic Prize for Best European Radio-Drama, while "Inflatable Apocalypse" won the Best Play of the Year Uniter Award in Romania. In Stockholm, Sweden, Saviana’s play “White Embers” produced by Dramalabbet made it in the TOP 3 of Best Plays in 2008, and in NYC is published by Samuel French as one of their 2010 OOB festival winners.

Ms Stanescu has published books of poetry and drama including “The New York Plays”, “Aliens With Extraordinary Skills”, “Waxing West”, "Google me!", "Black Milk", and "The Inflatable Apocalypse” (Best Play of the Year UNITER Award in 2000).
Her plays have received readings and workshops at The Lark, Long Wharf Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, New York Stage&Film, Baryshnikov Arts Center, Playwrights' Foundation, Traveling Jewish Theatre, Immigrants Theatre Project, LaGuardia Performing Arts Center, Origin Theatre Company, PS122, HERE, etc.

Saviana is a member of EST (Ensemble Studio Theatre) and a Usual Suspect with New York Theatre Workshop. She was a 2005-2007 TCG fellow with the Lark Play Development Center, where her plays “Waxing West” and “Lenin’s Shoe” had barebones productions. Other honors include: Indie Theater Hall of Fame, Indie Theater Person of the Year 2010, 2007-2008 NYSCA playwright-in-residence with Women’s Project, writer-in-residence for Richard Schechner’s East Coast Artists, and the inaugural Audrey residency with New Georges.

Saviana conceived/wrote/directed devised theatre projects such as: “Back to Ithaca. A contemporary Odyssey” - based on interviews with Ithaca veterans, “Enslaved” (with director Tamilla Woodard) - inspired by stories of human traffic, “Trust” (with director Cynthia Henderson)– a community project exploring the relationship between civilians and the Police, "The Others" - about micro/macroaggressions on college campuses, etc.

She has been the Director of Eastern European Exchange for The Lark Play Development Center, the curator of playgroundzero and New York with an Accent, and the founder of Immigrant/International Artists and Scholars in New York (IASNY).
She has taught Playwriting and Theatre/Performance Studies at NYU – Tisch (2004-2012), Strasberg Theatre&Film Institute, Fordham University, ESPA Primary Stages, Lark Transylvania Playwriting Camp, Centro Cultural Helénico - Mexico City, Stockholm RCI, etc. Currently is a tenured Associate Professor of Playwriting and Contemporary Theatre at Ithaca College and a Regional Visiting Fellow with the Cornell University’s Institute for European Studies.
Her books can be bought from the Samuel French website, her Amazon author page, etc:
http://www.amazon.com/Saviana-Stanescu/e/B001JOOFWA