Romeo Castellucci
director and designer

Romeo Castellucci was born in Cesena (Italy) in 1960.
He studied Painting and Scenography at the Accademia delle Belle Arti in Bologna.

In 1981, jointly with Claudia Castellucci and Chiara Guidi, he founded Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio.
He has directed numerous productions, of which he is the author, the director, the designer of the set, the light and the costumes.

Known as a theatre author aiming the total of the arts as an integral perception, he has also written several theoretical essays on staging based on his own theatre's experience. His work suggests dramatic choices, not according to the primacy of literature, making theater become a plastic art, complex and full of visions.

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Since 2011, he has worked on the creation of individual projects, independent of Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio.

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His productions are regularly presented and produced by the most prestigious scenes, theatres, operas and international festivals.
His latest creations include: Sul concetto di volto nel figlio di Dio  (2011), The Four Seasons Restaurant  (2012), Hyperion by Friedrich Hölderlin (2013), Le Sacre du Printemps by Igor Stravinsky (2014) and La democrazia in America (2017) all produced with Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio.

Furthermore Parsifal by Richard Wagner (2011) at Theatre de la Monnaie, at Opera Bastille Moses und Aron by Arnold Schönberg (2015) with the revival at Teatro Real in Madrid (2016), Jeanne Au Bûcher (2017) by Arthur Honegger at Opera de Lyon and Tannhäuser (2017) at Bayerische Staatsoper, Das Floss der Medusa by H. W. Henze (2018, Dutch National Opera). Die Zauberflöte at Théâtre de La Monnaie in Brussels (2018) in coproduction with Opera de Lille, Alessandro Scarlatti's Il Primo Omicidio at Palais Garnier (2019) coproduced with Staatsoper Unter den Linden, A Paixão (Matthäus Passion) by J. S. Bach at Centro Cultural Belem in Lisbon and Mozart's Requiem at Festival d'Aix-En-Provence 2019 (in coproduction with Valencia, Festwochen, Theatre la Monnaie and Theater Basel).

He created for the Beethovenfest the installation Pavane für Prometheus (2022).

In 2022 Romeo Castellucci's Resurrection (by Gustav Mahler) opened Festival Aix En Provence, the production has been revived in 2023 at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and in 2024 at La Villette in Paris.

At the Staatsoper Berlin he created Daphne by Richard Strauss. Theatre de La Monnaie has invited him to create Wagner's Ring cycle, starting Das Rheingold in October 2023 (Prix de la Critique for "Best Scenography") and Die Walküre.

For the Dutch National Opera he directed and designed Le Lacrime di Eros, a music theatre performance about the return to the origins of opera as an art form.

For the Salzburger Festspiele he directed and designed Strauss' Salome at the Felsenreitschule (2018), Bluebeard's Castle (Bartok) and De Temporum Fine Comoedia (Orff) in 2022 and Don Giovanni (2021 and revived in 2024) .

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In 2005 Romeo Castellucci was appointed director of the Theatre section of the Venice Biennale. In 2008, he was appointed "associate artist" by the artistic direction of the Festival d'Avignon for it's 62nd edition.

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He has received various awards and honours, worthwhile mentioning: In 1996 he received the Prix Europa for Nuova Realtà Teatrale. In 2002, he was appointed Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the Minister of Culture of the French Republic. In 2013, the Venice Biennale awarded him the Golden Lion for his entire career. In 2014, the Alma Mater Studiorum of the University of Bologna awarded him the title of Doctor Honoris Causa in the Music and Theatre disciplines. He is Member de l'Academie Royale de Belgique. In 2014 Opernwelt magazine nominated him Best Opera Director and in 2017 his production Jeanne Au Bûcher was the Winner of the Best Production award. 

In 2022 he received the Merit Award in Gold of the Province of Vienna.

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He is resident artist "Grand Invité" at the Triennale Milano (2021-2024).

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