Paolo Panizza – Director, playwright, performer and actor.
In his research he mixes performance with prose, integrating multimedia elements in a predominantly transdisciplinary or interdisciplinary way, with the aim of an immersive experience for the public/end user. His works go through different stages of studies, opened to the audience, because he strongly believes in the process as practice.
He trained as an actor at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City and at the Centro Teatro Attivo in Milan. He also trained as a performer in the CPPM program (Contemporary Physical Performance Making) in Tallinn, where he had the opportunity to study through a devised based journey, with various international artists, including: Kasper Vandenberghe (Troubleyn Jan Fabre, Belgium), Maria Dafneros (Troubleyn Jan Fabre, Belgium), Ryen Perkins-Gangnes (Gecko, UK), Eddie Martinez (Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, Germany), Will Bond (SITI Company, USA), Marilena Dara (Jasmin Vardimon Company, United Kingdom), Imanuel Schipper (Rimini Protokoll & William Forsythe, Germany), Tadashi Endo (Butoh-Ma, Germany), Sasha Pepelyayev (Kinetic Theater Project, Russia), Ana Sanchez-Colberg (Theater EnCorps, Greece), Giacomo Veronesi (Fuoco alla Paglia, Italy), Guillaume Pigé (Theater Re, UK), Stacy Makishi (Artsadmin, United Kingdom), Peader Kirk (United Kingdom), Simona Gonella (Italy), Agnieszka Mendel (Poland), Janek Zórawski (Gardzienice, Polania) and many others. In the theater he acted in productions such as: Terror and misery of the third reich and Wesker’s kitchen, at the Franco Parenti theater directed by Fabio Cherstich. He was part of the video installation “Love letters to Ana” by Ana Sanchez-Colberg included in the exhibition Coantivirus curated by NY20 + Nongyuan Culture in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. In the cinema he starred in the film directed by Edoardo Leo “What do you want it to be”, a Warner Bros production. He worked as assistant director of Lara Franceschetti, Fabio Cherstich, Mattia Giorgetti, Mariano Furlani and also in the opera for James Conway (English Touring Opera). He then signs as Director shows such as: “Wahrheit Macht Frei”, “Ajax: how to stage a suicide (?)”, “YourSpace ” (24h performance),“ Someone has to die ”and“ Pour Toi ”. In 2020 participate as performer in “Where do we go from here?” (Performance of 99h non stop) in Tallinn, directed by Peader Kirk and Simona Gonella.
In 2021 he is a finalist (co-directed with Agnes Oberauer) at an international open call for site-specific performance under40 at the Venice Biennale 2021.
In 2021 he is the director and author of “Sublimation”, a performative installation in Mussolini’s former office, Terrazza Duomo 21, Milan. In March 2022, he re-stages Pour Toi, as a second study, in season at the Out Off Theater in Milan with an international cast and Agnes Oberauer as dramaturg. In July 2022 he was a finalist at the Venice Biennale College for Directors under 35 with Ratti – Talent Show for an Apocalypse with an aspectacular ending.
He directs and writes the text of Deadline, a performance on the theme of Burnout, and stages it in Hamburg, Lyon and at the Vertigini festival in Belluno in 2022/23.
In 2024, following two residencies (in Sarzana at the NIN space and in Barcelona at NAU IVANOW) he stages RATS in its definitive form at the OUTOFF Theater in Milan with the support of MOVIN’UP SPETTACOLO – PERFORMING ARTS 2023/2024 promoted by MIC Italian Ministry of Culture – Directorate General for Performing Arts and GAI Association for the Circuit of the Young Italian Artists together with TPP Puglia Public Theater – Apulia Region and with GA/ER Association Young Artists of Emilia Romagna.
He’s currently working on a monologue “SPEED” by Roberto Simonte, the final version of “POUR TOI” and a project with the draft title “I blaspheme what I pray”.
Pic Masiar Pasquali