Today we’d like to introduce you to Federica Borlenghi.
Hi Federica, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been breathing art since as early as I can remember! I went to Music School throughout my whole youth and attended a High School of Visual Arts. I then decided to pursue higher education in the Dramatic Arts, so I moved to New York City. Since 2019, I have been working professionally all over the five boroughs as a Director, Creative Producer, Writer, Costume Designer/Stylist and as Prop Designer. My artistry has been predominantly focused on the development of original work.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been definitively a tumultuous road! Re-inventing theater throughout a global pandemic and adjusting to it once the world re-opened has been quite challenging. During the lockdown, I produced three 24h Zoom festivals with HERE WE GO – a company I served at as founding Artistic Director for a few years – featuring artists spread all over the US. I also adapted, directed and edited a virtual presentation of “The Odds Are Good”, a one-woman show by Taylor Cozort, which premiered at the Denver Fringe Festival in 2020. The theater industry is quite competitive, so I decided to lean on my multidisciplinary talents and started building a career as a Costume and Props Designer too. I adore juggling all of my skills and passions. Being able to live off of them as been quite extraordinary, and it definitively helps keep the bumpy ride exciting!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I think that what sets my work apart from others is how collaborative I am and how being a multi-faceted artist allows me to have a deep understanding of what each role and component of a team requires to succeed.
I specialize in the development of original work. I approach art with a healing and celebratory lens, which feels so necessary nowadays. I enjoy curating sensorial experiences saturated in design, movement and live music. I enjoy fully curating my own projects, meaning I direct, creative produce and costume design them. In 2022, I got a curatorial commission from the Italytime Cultural Center. There, I led a community experiment where I facilitated conversations between 6 international women. I then fictionalized our stories into a lyrical piece, featuring movement and song. I am so proud of that process, and I am so looking forward to continuing sharing the international experience with the New York community.
I am also excited to announce that a new play of mine, “Until Dark’, won the inaugural Et Alia Lab and will be presented in the fall! I am so looking forward to diving into this Residency and directing this very personal work of mine sided by this fantastic company and brilliant cast. In particular, I am thrilled to be directing actor extraordinaire Maria Müller once again, who’s been continuously involved in my artistry. I am excited to give her this role and see where she’ll take it.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was an exuberant, explosive, creative one! I would never leave my house without a pen, a journal, headphones and a book. I am a voracious art consumer! I’ve always adored surrounding myself with artists and art! I devoured books, spent all my money on concerts, watched movies until the sun would rise and adored strolling around museums. But writing was my first love in terms of medium. It’s still how I navigate the world, how I process it and understand it. But it can be an intense practice… writing can be so lonely and introspective. I am lucky to have built a strong collaboration with dramaturg and playwright Covi Loveridge Brannan, who supervises all of my creations. Numerous projects would have never seen the sunlight if it wouldn’t have been for her creative support.
Contact Info:
- Website: federicaborlenghi.com
Image Credits
Headshot by Pam Torres Rehearsal photograph by Danny Bristoll Italytime Cultural Center’s “Reminiscence” production stills by Federica Borlenghi Saraika Movement Collective’s “Double Bind”, Photographs by BeccaVision
