pretty much shortly
I’m a multidisciplinary artist and cultural operator: opera and theatre director, set and costume designer, dramaturge and translator – originally from Turin, now based in Vienna. My background includes music studies and a long career as an actress.
Through my association Satyrikon I develop hybrid, immersive projects that blend music, poetry, and a visual storytelling, often addressing issues from a distinctly female perspective.
I’ve never let go of my old passion for Ancient Greek myth. With Odysseiai, f.pl. – a research initiative exploring a ‘feminine plural’ of voices emerging from and retelling the Odyssey – I explore new narrative forms across stage, film, and installation.
bio
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Roberta Cortese was born in Turin in 1970. Following a high school education in the humanities, two years of Classical Studies and an early musical training, she studied Musical Dramaturgy at the University of Turin and opera singing in Turin and Vienna. Here she finally developed as an actress in the Burgtheater company of the Peymann era. She also worked at Volkstheater Vienna, Schauspielhaus Graz and in the Viennese off-scene, a.o. with directors such as Einar Schleef, Dimiter Gotscheff and Arie Zinger.
In 2001 she went back to Italy, where she performed in contemporary plays at Teatro Stabile, Teatro Piemonte Europa, Teatro Regio in Turin, Teatro Due in Parma, Teatro dell’Acquario Cosenza, Festival delle Colline Torinesi and Spoleto Festival. She collaborated with directors Davide Livermore, Walter Le Moli, Lorenzo Fontana, as well as musicians Andrea Chenna, Marcello Fera, and Fabio Biondi, and started working with the multimedia studio MyBossWas.
From 2002 to 2008 she was dramaturge of CineTeatro Baretti in Turin, which she co-founded and was directed by Davide Livermore. There she began writing and translating theatre plays, facilitating the premieres of numerous works by foreign authors, particularly Elfriede Jelinek. Her plays – some of which co-written with her husband, Luigi Chiarella – were staged at CineTeatro Baretti, Teatro Stabile di Torino and Spoleto Festival.
From 2005 to 2009 she worked as an opera director, including at Teatro Regio / Piccolo Regio Puccini in Turin and at Teatro Rendano in Cosenza. She increasingly took on costume and stage design. In 2009 she co-founded with Chiarella the association Satyrikon. Ever since, she has been developing her own projects, often at the intersection of music theatre, poetry and scenic installation.
Since 2015 she has been living in Vienna again. She worked a.o. with Christoph Marthaler, Laura Mello, echoraum, Kabinetttheater, and repeatedly with MyBossWas and sirene Operntheater. In 2021 she acquired a qualification in cultural mediation.
For Odysseiai f.pl. she carried out the “open call for videos” Odysseus verstummt, the immersive music piece Sex, Lügen & Odysseus and the upcoming short film Odissea in sei sonetti. Most recently, she realized Entehrt at the Odeon / im Spitzer, the Austrian premiere of Saverio La Ruina’s acclaimed monologue Dissonorata, as a narrative installation.
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Roberta Cortese nasce a Torino nel 1970. Dopo la maturità classica, due anni di Lettere Antiche e una prima formazione musicale, studia Drammaturgia Musicale all’Università di Torino e canto lirico a Torino e Vienna, dove si forma come attrice nella compagnia del Burgtheater dell’era Peymann. In quegli anni lavora anche al Volkstheater di Vienna, al Schauspielhaus di Graz e nella scena-off viennese, con registi come Einar Schleef, Dimiter Gotscheff e Arie Zinger.
Nel 2001 torna in Italia, dove lavora come attrice in diverse produzioni di teatro contemporaneo al Teatro Stabile, Teatro Piemonte Europa, Teatro Regio Torino, Teatro Due di Parma, Teatro dell’Acquario di Cosenza, al Festiva delle Colline Torinesi e al Festival dei Due Mondi di Spoleto. Collabora coi registi Davide Livermore, Walter Le Moli, Lorenzo Fontana; con i musicisti Andrea Chenna, Marcello Fera, Fabio Biondi; iniziano le sue collaborazioni con lo studio MyBossWas.
Dal 2002 al 2008 è Dramaturgin del CineTeatro Baretti di Torino, da lei co-fondato e allora diretto da Davide Livermore. Lì avvia la sua attività di autrice e traduttrice, contribuendo alla realizzazione di numerose prime di autori stranieri, prima fra tutti Elfriede Jelinek. I suoi testi – alcuni scritti assieme al marito Luigi Chiarella – sono andati in scena a CineTeatro Baretti, Teatro Stabile di Torino, Festival dei Due Mondi di Spoleto.
Dal 2005 al 2009 lavora come regista lirica, fra gli altri al Teatro Regio / Piccolo Regio Puccini di Torino e al Teatro Rendano di Cosenza, occupandosi via via anche di scene e costumi. Nel 2009 fonda con Chiarella l’associazione Satyrikon. Da allora si dedica a progetti propri, spesso ai confini tra teatro musicale, poesia e installazione scenica.
Dal 2015 vive di nuovo a Vienna e continua a operare a cavallo tra confini e generi. Ha collaborato tra gli altri con Christoph Marthaler, Laura Mello, echoraum, Kabinetttheater, a più riprese con MyBossWas e sirene Operntheater. Nel 2021 ha conseguito la qualifica di mediatrice artistico-culturale.
Per Odysseiai f.pl. ha realizzato la “open call for videos” Odysseus verstummt, la piece immersiva musicale Sex, Lügen & Odysseus e il cortometraggio in uscita Odissea in sei sonetti. Il suo progetto più recente è Entehrt all’Odeon / im Spitzer, la prima austriaca dell’acclamato monologo Dissonorata in forma di installazione narrativa.
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Roberta Cortese wurde 1970 in Turin geboren. Nach dem humanistischen Gymnasium und zwei Jahren Altphilologie studierte sie Musikdramaturgie an der Universität Turin und Operngesang in Turin und Wien. Dort wurde sie zur Schauspielerinim im Burgtheater-Ensemble der Peymann-Ära. Sie wirkte auch an Volkstheater Wien, Schauspielhaus Graz und in der Wiener freien Szene, u.a. mit Regisseuren wie Einar Schleef, Dimiter Gotscheff und Arie Zinger.
2001 zog sie nach Italien zurück und spielte zeitgenössische Dramatik an Teatro Stabile, Teatro Piemonte Europa, Teatro Regio in Turin, an Teatro Due Parma, Teatro dell’Acquario Cosenza, Festival delle Colline Torinesi und Spoleto Festival. Sie arbeitete mit den Regisseuren Davide Livermore, Walter Le Moli, Lorenzo Fontana, sowie mit den Musikern Andrea Chenna, Marcello Fera, Fabio Biondi; sie startete auch Kooperationen mit dem Multimedia Studio MyBossWas.
Von 2002 bis 2008 war sie Dramaturgin des CineTeatro Baretti in Turin, das sie mitgründete und von Davide Livermore geleitet wurde. Dort begann sie, als Autorin und Übersetzerin zu wirken und ermöglichte viele Premieren fremder Autor*innen, vor allem Elfriede Jelinek. Ihre Theaterstücke – einige davon zusammen mit Ehemann Luigi Chiarella geschrieben – wurden am CineTeatro Baretti, Teatro Stabile Torino, Spoleto Festival aufgeführt.
Von 2005 bis 2009 war sie als Opernregisseurin tätig, unter anderem am Teatro Regio / Piccolo Regio Puccini in Turin und Teatro Rendano in Cosenza, und widmete sich nach und nach dem Kostüm- und Bühnenbild. 2009 gründete sie mit Chiarella den Verein Satyrikon. Seitdem entwickelt sie eigene Projekte – oft auf der Schnittstelle von Musiktheater, Poesie und szenischer Installation.
Seit 2015 lebt sie wieder in Wien. Sie kooperierte u.a. mit Christoph Marthaler, Laura Mello, echoraum, Kabinetttheater, wiederholt mit MyBossWas und sirene Operntheater. 2021 erwarb sie eine Ausbildung in Kulturvermittlung.
Für Odysseiai f.pl. sie realisierte den “call for videos” Odysseus verstummt, das immersive Musiktheaterstück Sex, Lügen & Odysseus und den demnächst erscheinenden Kurzfilm Odissea in sei sonetti. Ihr letztes Projekt war die Erzählinstallation Entehrt am Odeon / im Spitzer, die österreichische Uraufführung von Saverio La Ruinas gefeiertem Monolog Dissonorata.