The stage designer Helmut Stürmer passed away yesterday, October 21, after a long illness.
Born in Timișoara, Helmut Stürmer initially worked as an actor at the German State Theatre Timișoara after finishing high school. He later studied stage design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bucharest. He first worked at the State Theatre in Sibiu and the Bulandra Theatre in Bucharest, followed by set designs for films and commissions for the municipal theatres of Cologne and Munich. After leaving Romania in 1977, he collaborated with numerous theatres and opera houses across Europe, including the Schauspielhaus Hamburg, Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, and the Opera in Bonn.
He was a close collaborator of the German State Theatre Timișoara, creating stage designs for many of our productions. Among these are The Incredible and Sad Tale of Innocent Eréndira and Her Heartless Grandmother (for which he received an award from the Romanian Theatre Union – UNITER), The Servant of Two Masters, Leonce and Lena, Lysistrata 3.0, Nadirs, Spring Awakening, The Fire Raisers, and Fuchsiada.
Throughout his career, his work was repeatedly recognized with awards for stage design, both nationally — by UNITER — and internationally. In 2021, he was awarded the Order of Cultural Merit of Romania, Commander rank.
The collective of the German State Theatre Timișoara deeply mourns this great loss and extends its heartfelt condolences to his family and grieving friends.
