Shows, Festivals & amps; Training
Act I: the Company
IF Prana is a theatre company founded in 2011, deeply rooted in the cultural fabric of Versilia. From this link with the territory was born the Teatro Futuribile Versilia, an innovative model for the management of public spaces awarded by the Funder35. Over the years the company has given life to numerous festivals, including InForme Festival, which today involves eight municipalities in two different provinces.
Alongside the organisation of festivals and festivals, IF Prana carries out a rich production activity, with performances combining prose and dance, productions for children and courses for schools. To complete its identity, a constant commitment to training, from school workshops to masterclasses with artists of international importance.
Catherine Simonelli
Artistic Direction
Caterina Simonelli (Pietrasanta, 1981) is an actress, playwright and director, graduated from the Scuola del Piccolo Teatro in Milan (2002–2005) and with technical training in audio and light. Since 2011 she is director and operator of the company IF Prana, of which she takes care of the prose productions, but she has also worked with important realities such as the Teatro Metastasio, the Teatro Era in Pontedera, the Lombardi-Tiezzi Company and national theaters, under the direction of directors such as Federico Tiezzi, Luca Ronconi, Roberto Bacci and Marco Baliani.
Author and performer of numerous shows (including On the high seas, ReaLear, Monkeys, Tà Erotika, Solitude e Nothing), alongside stage work, a constant commitment to theatrical pedagogy, since 2011 conducting workshops for schools, adult workshops and training for professional actors, with a focus on the social inclusion of vulnerable groups. Among the awards, the Virginia Reiter Prize, the ‘Giovani in Scena’ Prize and the Critics’ Prize for Best Actress at the Fringe Festival in Rome.
M. Cristina Bertacca
Administration
Maria Cristina Bertacca (Viareggio, 1982) is a researcher and cultural professional with a solid academic background obtained at the University of Pisa: PhD (110/110) in History of Visual Arts and Performing Arts, Master's Degree and Triennial Degree both with Honours, and currently an MBA in progress all’University of Turin. His career ranges from theatrical organisation and production to cultural design, from teaching to communication and promotion. Since 2012 he has been the administrative manager of IF Prana, for which he deals with production, public training, press office and cultural mediation; He has also worked with companies such as ALDES, Teatro Goldoni in Livorno and Compagnia del TeatroLux, and is currently involved in administration and coordination at GIOYA Higher Education Institution (Malta) with direct assistance to the CEO. He has transversal skills in graphics (Adobe suites), digital and administrative.
Giulia Arpe
Organisation
Giulia Arpe (Genoa, 1988) approached the theatre during high school with the Teatro Educazione workshops of the Teatro Cargo. In 2008 he founded the cultural association Il Condominio, an amateur company that debuted the following year at the Teatro dell’Ortica with So it is if you like.
Over the years he built a solid path in theatrical training, supporting Officine Papage in the theater workshops education and school continuity in the Genoese comprehensive institutes and conducting workshops for primary and secondary schools. On the organizational side, from 2011 to 2014 he curates the review Let us not resign with the Associazione Burrasca, of which he was president until 2016, and since 2015 he has been following the Festival Nuove Terre for Officine Papage, collaborating with them until 2024.
Since 2020, she has worked permanently with the company IF Prana as an organiser and theatre operator, and is also a trainer at the Accademia di Recitazione Toscana.