Chiara Rossi

Kakuma, fishing in the desert (2022 - 2023)
Theater by Laura Sicignano Assistant set designer How does one of the world's largest refugee camps operate? It is called Kakuma, located on the border between Kenya and South Sudan. Around 220,000 people live there, having fled the endless conflicts that plague the surrounding countries. The new project by director and writer Laura Sicignano is inspired by, dedicated to, and focused on the Kakuma refugee camp. Sometimes, theater becomes both storytelling and testimony, a report and a political statement—without ever losing its poetic nature. In the history of the Teatro di Genova, documentary theater has always played a crucial role. With Kakuma, this tradition is renewed and brought into the present. Sicignano, always attentive to the contradictions and tensions shaping contemporary socio-cultural dynamics, expands the boundaries of dramaturgy—transforming the stage into a space for documentation and reflection, enriched with live music and dance.

Sopravvissuti (2020 - 2021)
Series by Carmine Elia Costumer The ship Arianna disappears without a trace after two weeks at sea. A year later, the wreck is discovered off the African coast with only seven survivors—bound by a terrible secret that leads to an investigation to uncover what really happened on that ship.

L'elisir d'amore (2021)
Theater by Teatro Carlo Felice Set props Written by Gaetano Donizetti in 1832 with a libretto by Genoese writer Felice Romani, L’elisir d’amore draws inspiration from Le Philtre by Daniel Auber, with a libretto by Eugène Scribe, which was highly popular in Paris at the time. In just two acts of a rustic-inspired tale—where the simple Nemorino, in love with the beautiful and cunning Adina, is tricked by the charlatan Dulcamara, who sells him a magical love potion—Donizetti masterfully condenses the emotional essence of both comic and semi-serious opera. He skillfully blends this with a metatheatrical dimension, creating a comedy of misunderstandings and intrigues with a happy ending, enriched by vibrant melodies. The plot, which unfolds like a cleverly set trap, humorously wraps itself around the fate of its characters. The story, full of imagination and freshness, is further enhanced by Emanuele Luzzati’s scenic vision, setting the entire opera outdoors. The wings, proscenium, and a single tree evoke a typically 19th-century aesthetic, using simple elements to create an intimate atmosphere. This minimalist setting clears the stage for the spectacular arrival of Dulcamara’s wardrobe-cart, a transformative device that unfolds telescopically to reveal various interior spaces. This seamless coexistence of space and time reconnects the opera to its illusionistic and fairy-tale roots, reinforcing its timeless magic.

Tosca (2019)
Theater by Teatro Carlo Felice Costumer

Peter Pan (2019)
Theater by Teatro Nazionale di Genova Assistant set designer Reliving the joy of childhood, regardless of one’s age. Playing and considering the world as a runway to let dreams take flight. This, in our opinion, is the true spirit of a character like Peter Pan. Through improvisation, the actors on stage offer the audience a chance for redemption from the rational obligation that inevitably forces us to grow up. But the performance also aims to be a hymn to imagination, an art increasingly neglected by young people in these times.

Capricciolò il violino di Niccolò (2019)
Theater by Teatro della Tosse Puppy Costumer Capricciolò, Niccolò’s Violin is the cheerful and lively violin of the legendary Niccolò Paganini. Capricciolò lived in his arms, close to his heart, and no one knew the brilliant musician better than he did! In the fantastic world of puppetry, anything can happen—even a violin coming to life and beginning to tell a story!

Rigoletto (2017)
Theater by Teatro Carlo Felice Stage painter