Silvia Battaglio

For an Italian Translation, click here.

Performer, director, trainer, works steadily with the dance theatre company Zerogrammi, pursuing since 2004 her own authorial iter built on a transdisciplinary language and focused on stage writing, collaborating on an artistic and pedagogical level with important organisations including l’ODIN TEATRET founded by Eugenio Barba.

In revisiting the great plays from the classical and contemporary repertoire, the creative work is oriented towards dramaturgical research, experimentation, the mixing of languages and the exploration of themes such as female, identity, family, power, diversity, themes around which the project has been outlined and which have guided the shows realised to date, whose meaning is to open up a possible view on the relationship of the human being with the world.

After graduating in Social Sciences in 1999 from the University of Turin, she studied classical dance (R.A.D. Method) for ten years at the school directed by Sara Acquarone, expanding her choreographic studies with Simona Bucci, Adriana Borriello, Roberto Castello, Michela Lucenti, Abbondanza/Bertoni. At the same time, in 1998, she completed the Course in Laban Movement Analysis in Bologna at the Art Therapy Italiana centre, before graduating in 2002 from the SCUOLA DI FORMAZIONE SUPERIORE PER ATTORI – ERT EMILIA ROMAGNA TEATRO FONDAZIONE TEATRO NAZIONALE under the teaching of Stefano Vercelli. In the same years, he deepened his study of physical theatre, singing, vocal techniques and dramaturgical writing with Mamadou Dioume, Renata Molinari, Anne Zenour, Imke Buchholz-McMurtrie, Eugenio Allegri, and Giuliano Scabia. and then began his career.

As actress-dancer she has worked in various productions including Don Chisciotte and Romeo e Giulietta, ERT – Emilia Romagna Teatro Fondazione production (Teatro Storchi 2001, Teatro delle Passioni 2002/2003, Festival Sant’Arcangelo 2002/2003, Butrinti Summer Festival 2002/2003); Biosculture, ALDES production (TorinoDanza 2004); Stravaganza (2002) and Il viaggio di Ulisse, Tangram Teatro production (Teatro Stabile Torino 2007); Fare albero, Zerogrammi production (Teatro Piemonte Europa 2011); TitoloDaDefinire Zerogrammi production (Lavanderia a Vapore 2020); Ristory. La finestra sul racconto, University of Turin project (2020); Progetto Nomis, Gruppo Abele Onlus/Castello di Rivoli project (2021).

Since 2005, she has been directing creations of which she is author, director and performer.

Her new creation, Dall’altra parte, premiering nationally in autumn 2023 as part of the FESTIVAL APERTO – FONDAZIONE I TEATRI DI REGGIO EMILIA, is freely inspired by Ariel Dorfman’s play. The show has recently been awarded the ‘PREMIO DRAMMATURGIA CONTEMPORANEA E TEATRO DI FIGURA – CONTEMPORARY DRAMATURGY AND FIGURE THEATRE AWARD’ (Fondazione Otello SARZI) entering in partnership with Fondazione I TEATRI di Reggio Emilia, ERT – Fondazione Emilia Romagna Teatro, FTS – Fondazione Toscana Spettacolo and Teatro Akropolis. The show was selected among the winning projects of the ‘BANDO CURA 2023 – Interregional artistic residencies’ entering in partnership with Teatro Area Nord and it was also selected for the ‘TAD RESIDENCY 2023’ project (TTB Teatro Tascabile Bergamo, Festival Danza Estate and Contemporary Locus).

Between 2021 and 2022, she directed and performed La Sposa Blu, a play freely inspired by the fairy tale Bluebeard by Charles Perrault, co-produced by the ISTITUTO PER I BENI MARIONETTISTICI E IL TEATRO POPOLARE. The show, after its 2021 premiere at the INCANTI Festival – International Figure Theatre Review, had its national premiere in May 2022 in the season of TPE – FONDAZIONE TEATRO PIEMONTE EUROPA and, after the summer tour in 2022 realised in collaboration with CEDAC – CIRCUITO MULTIDISCIPLINARE SPETTACOLO SARDEGNA, it started an intense tour currently underway between Piedmont, Lombardy, Abruzzo, Emilia Romagna and Spain.

Among the artistic projects realised during his career, of particular note is the TRILOGIA DELL’IDENTITA’ – TRILOGY OF IDENTITY which is part of Ballata per Minotauro inspired by Friedrich Durrenmatt’s play (2020; Festival Summer Palys/Teatro Stabile Torino); Orlando.Le primavere from the famous novel Orlando by Virginia Woolf (2017; Teatro Stabile Torino); Lolita inspired by Vladimir Nabokov’s novel (2015; Odin Teatret; Teatro Stabile Torino).

In 2012, the meeting with ODIN TEATRET is decisive, cause it marks a turning point in his professional career, allowing the start of a long period of study and artistic residency in Denmark, under the artistic supervision of Eugenio Barba and Julia Varley, and the following co-production of Lolita, which had its international premiere within the 2013/2014 season of ODIN TEATRET itself, and then its national premiere in 2015 at TEATRO STABILE TORINO. 

Among the creations in the repertoire are IoLorenzo&Giulia (2012; Teatro Piemonte Europa). Le corps de Jeanne (2011; Teatro Piemonte Europa); Io amo Helen (2010; Odin Teatret); Verso Elettra (2009; Teatro Piemonte Europa); Un sogno per Maria (2008; Teatro Piemonte Europa); Ofelia (2005; Teatro Stabile Torino).

In addition to her creative work, her pedagogical commitment has continued since 2005 with the collaboration of important local organisations, including the University of Turin, the University of Salento and the Fondazione Gruppo Abele. The main objective of her pedagogical practice is to offer useful tools for human and artistic growth, and at the same time to assist the development of students’ critical sense. In this direction, Progetto LaRT – Laboratorio Ricerca Teatrale was established in 2014, in collaboration with Tangram Teatro and Zerogrammi, with the aim of building a path of higher education through a study methodology oriented towards research theatre. 

For the academic year 2023/2024, she is working as a teacher in physical theatre at the UNIVERSITY OF PADUA – Department of Linguistic and Literary Studies, conducting the Annual Physical Theatre Workshop in French, aimed at staging the play L’ècole des bouffons by Michel De Ghelderode, in collaboration with Professor Anna Bettoni. Again for the University of Padua, in November 2023 he gave a theoretical-practical lecture, Figure of the Body: Dramaturgies between human and non-human, as part of the Course Theatres of Figures. Stories and Aesthetics by Professor Cristina Grazioli. During the academic year 2022/2023, she worked for the UNIVERSITY OF PADUA as professor, teaching the Laboratory of Theatre-Dance included in the academic programme of the Degree Course – DAMS Scienze dello Spettacolo e Produzione Multimediale. 

Among the various teaching projects that she have conducted in recent years, of particular note is the Singing Bodies project – Singing and Movement Workshop, aimed at adolescents included in the family integration project of the City of Turin – Social Services Division, for which the cultural association BIANCATEATRO, of which she is artistic director, won the 2020 CASA AFFIDO CALL. She also work as a teacher of physical theatre within the professional training projects for dancers and actors of the Zerogrammi company (PROGETTO PIUME 2022; PROGETTO INVENTARIO 2023).

Awards and prizes include: 

• TAD Residency 2023 – Teatro Tascabile Bergamo/Festival Danza Estate/Contemporary Locus 
• Bando CURA 2023 – IDRA Residenze Artistiche Interregionali
• Premio Drammaturgia contemporanea e Teatro di Figura 2022 – Fondazione Sarzi
• Selezione Progetto Cantiere 2020 – Festival INCANTI 
• Selezione Festival Pendientes de un Hilo 2022 – Teatro Pradilllo Madrid
• Finalista Strabismi Festival 2019 – Dominio Pubblico 
• Bando BRACT 2018 – Breve Residenza Artistica di Comunità e Territorio 
• Residenza Multidisciplinare Arte Transitiva 2018 – Stalker Teatro 
• Premio CROSS International Performance Award 2016 – CROSS Festival 
• Selezione Il Cielo su Torino 2015 – TST Teatro Stabile Torino 

Selezione residenza artistica 2012 – Odin Teatret / Eugenio Barba

Silvia’s website: https://www.silviabattaglio.com/