Margarita Niculescu

Born Jan. 4, 1926, in Iaşi. Rumanian director and theorist of the puppet theater. Honored artist of the Socialist Republic of Rumania (1962).

Niculescu graduated from the Theater Institute in Bucharest in 1953. She has been the director and artistic director of the Ţăndărică Theater since its founding in 1948. She has staged the shows Humor on Strings and The Hand With Five Fingers by Krişan and Andi, The Book of Apollodor by Naum, and Ileana Sînziana, based on a folktale.

Niculescu’s work has contributed to the development of the modern Rumanian puppet theater. Her pupils have included actors, directors, and dramatists. Niculescu received awards at international puppet festivals in 1958, 1962, and 1965. She is a member of the International Puppeteers Union. In 1953 she was awarded the State Prize of the Socialist Republic of Rumania.