President of Sibiu International Theater Festival Constantin Chiriac honored with Japan's Rising Sun Order

The Japanese government has awarded the Order of the Rising Sun to actor, director of the "Radu Stanca" National Theater and president of the Sibiu International Theater Festival Constantin Chiriac for his contribution to promoting Japanese culture in Romania, the Embassy of Japan announced on Wednesday in a release.

"On May 21, 2019 the Government of Japan announced the names of the foreign citizens who have been awarded decorations this spring, including Mr. Constantin Chiriac, director of the 'Radu Stanca' National Theater, president of the Sibiu International Theater Festival and Professor at the 'Lucian Blaga' University in Sibiu. For his contribution to promoting Japanese culture in Romania and artistic exchanges between Japan and Romania, Mr. Constantin Chiriac has been awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Ribbon," the embassy release states.

According to the cited source, "founder of the Sibiu International Theater Festival in 1993, Mr. Constantin Chiriac has been the one who transformed this event of initially local importance into one of the major theater festivals in Europe and in the world, bringing annually to Sibiu great personalities of the international theater. Mr. Constantin Chiriac has made a major contribution to the presentation of the Japanese theater in Romania and to promoting the Japanese cultural values among the Romanian public, encouraging bilateral cooperation activities in the field. Against this background we emphasize the presence at the Sibiu Festival, since 2007, of Japanese volunteers (about 20 Japanese youth selected for each edition) who have cooperated in an exemplary manner with their Romanian and foreign colleagues for the smooth unfolding and the success of the Festival."

Constantin Chiriac also played a central role in conducting large-scale theatrical tours and projects with the participation of renowned Japanese and Romanian artists and directors.