Irina Alexandra Banea is a theatre director. She has gained recognition for her theatre productions, which, although initially rooted in classical dramaturgy, have evolved to incorporate contemporary, compelling narratives and striking imagery. As she often describes it, her approach revolves around working the invisible through the visible. She believes in a theatre where words never burden the image with excessive explanation and where the image always gestures towards its underlying and ideal concealed source.

In addition to her formal training in theatre directing, including a BA from UNATC, Bucharest, in 2016 and an MA from the University of Hull, UK, in 2018, Irina pursued a PhD in Shakespeare at UNATC, where she defended her thesis on Space in Shakespeare’s Plays in 2022. With her insatiable thirst for knowledge, she furthered her education in 2023 by pursuing a second master’s degree in the history of philosophy at Sorbonne University (Paris IV). Alongside the theoretical content, the present book also delves into one of her notable productions, Anatomies of Desire, based on three of William Shakespeare’s plays: Othello, Macbeth, and Julius Caesar. Premiering in 2021 at ARCUB, Bucharest, Anatomies of Desire was later selected for the 13th edition of the International Shakespeare Festival Craiova in 2022. Notably, this production served as the culmination of her doctoral thesis, which also nurtured the current book, Space in Shakespeare’s Plays (2024).