I am an Italian artist, born in Florence and active between Italy and Belgium. I define myself as a director, playwright, and librettist, with each of these professions interconnected by the thread of research. The practice of artistic research is the driving force behind everything I do, serving as a foundation and prerequisite for every decision about how to present the results of my studies.
I am passionate about stories, particularly those with a focus on women. I am interested in giving a voice to stories that have not yet been told or heard. I am drawn to examining history from diverse perspectives to better understand the present I live in.
Reflecting on my artistic practice, another defining element is theater. Despite the various roles, functions, and artistic fields I work in, theater is the world I inhabit.
AS A DIRECTOR
My work as a theater director began in 2015 when I wrote and directed my first prose play in Italy. It was a production about the first Italian athlete to win a gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. It was a monologue that I conceived and wrote for a colleague of mine from theater school. From that moment on, I have always directed plays that I have also written; I have never staged works by other authors, including classics. In this sense, I can say that my activity as a theater director goes hand in hand with that of a playwright, and that the writing of the text merges, during the creative process, with the future staging process.
I learned what directing entails after experiencing firsthand what it means to work as an actress. I attended the theater school of the Piccolo Teatro di Milano, where I earned a professional acting diploma in 2011. Additionally, I have often worked as an assistant director, both in prose theater and opera. This role allowed me to closely observe theater, learning techniques and becoming fascinated by the behind-the-scenes work.
As a director, I also work on operas. I have frequently created adaptations of operas for children and young audiences and have directed contemporary operas. In these cases, too, I have handled the dramaturgy and librettos.
Regarding my directorial choices, I believe it is essential to consider the scenic movement of the performer’s body in relation to the words they speak. The physical dimension is fundamental to my approach to directing, especially in relation to work on proxemics.
I work between Italy and Belgium. While in Italy I primarily direct operas, in Belgium I focus on my education. I am pursuing a Master’s degree in Theater at the Toneelacademie in Maastricht, teaching theater at the Italian Cultural Institute in Brussels, and conducting artistic research.
AS AN AUTHOR
I am a playwright.
I am a librettist.
I am a dramaturg.
Every time I write a text, the research phase is what I hold most dear and what stimulates my imagination the most. As a writer, my focus is primarily on telling stories that have not yet been told, often drawn from the lives of real people. I have frequently written biographical plays.
The work of an opera librettist is an ancient craft that I practice in the writing of contemporary operas, in close dialogue with composers who, from time to time, invite me to collaborate with them. The writing of librettos, especially in form, is rooted in my passion for and practice of poetry.
Whenever I introduce myself as a librettist, I think of the librettists of the past—those illustrious figures who wrote for Verdi, Puccini, and Mozart. It brings me joy to be a living female librettist. I aim to give voice to contemporary stories through the union and constant dialogue between music and words, employing a form that draws from tradition.
In 2015, I wrote my first libretto, *Milo, Maya e il giro del mondo*, which won the Expo Prize and the Fedora Prize. It was set to music by composer Matteo Franceschini and co-produced by Teatro Sociale di Como AsLiCo, Opéra Royal de Wallonie, Opéra de Rouen-Haute Normandie, and Theater Magdeburg.
In 2022, I won the international Illica Prize, during which I completed Luigi Illica’s libretto, *Il 3001*.
In 2024, I won the Gradus Prize, which will see me as both librettist and director of a contemporary opera set to music by composer Maria Vincenza Cabizza.
I have always aspired to be a dramaturg, but in Italy, this role is not as integral as it is in other countries. I discovered this fascinating profession while studying with one of Italy’s first dramaturgs, Renata Molinari. It was only after beginning my studies at the Toneelacademie in Maastricht that I realized, through conversations with dramaturgs there, that I had been practicing this craft all along without ever being defined as such. What a liberation to identify with someone like you!
As a dramaturg, I am interested in weaving connections between topics, words, and various sources, presenting them to directors so they can choose to convey what they truly want to express through a virtuous process of selection.