 The director of the theater, the actress Lucia Sturdza Bulandra, Grande Dame of the Bucharest theatre at this time, knew him as a student of Ion Sava, a theatre professor teaching directing and set design, and in 1959 gave him the order for the stage design for the drama "Când vei fi întrebat" ("When You'll Be Asked") of the playwright Dorel Dorian.Ştefănescu created the decor and costumes.That year, he also took a study trip to Timișoara and surrounding areas in western Romania, where he painted mostly landscapes and portraits of farmer.