Romeo Gasparini
Giovanni Palazzo
Davide Cherstich
Marco Curci
Cristina Castrillo
Cinzia Morandi
Daniele Finzi Pasca
Carlo Boschiroli
ART DIRECTION
TUTORING
EXTERNAL EYES
SOUND DESIGN
A mirage is a distant vision, often illusory, that nevertheless drives the traveller to cross the desert. It does not matter whether the goal is real, what matters is that there is one — and that we truly believe in it. MIRAGGI is a residency born from the desire to promote the circulation of performances in different languages throughout Switzerland. With this goal in mind, we selected 5 projects from 4 linguistic regions — one Swiss Italian, one Italian, one French, one German and one English — which develop independently within a single working group for 5 weeks, leading to five outcomes that we hope can tour both in Ticino and elsewhere.
New, deeply underground, language-based performances: the project stems from the desire to give a voice to a less recognised independent theatre, which is why only artists under 30 were selected, with original projects, a contemporary perspective and a timeless breadth. This year, we chose to connect the projects around the theme of INDECISION, having recognised in the candidates' proposals a strong fear of disorientation. And we do it in Ticino, Switzerland's periphery — the right place to welcome what finds no space elsewhere. In a world often without guides or masters, MIRAGGI places alongside these projects some historic figures and organisations from Ticino's independent theatre scene — Cristina Castrillo, Cinzia Morandi and Daniele Finzi Pasca — who will accompany the process as external eyes.
WITH THE SUPPORT OF
WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF
'26
the ARTISTS
the MIRAGES
DAVIDE GHIRLANDA
Born in Lugano, he trained in theatre with Emanuele Santoro at the historic Teatro il Cortile and became a founding member of the Studio MIRA company, performing in Eccezioni – storie diverse and Effimero. Since 2022, he has assisted director Romeo Gasparini in developing the company’s work across the region.
DIFISIL - Italian and dialect from Ticino
Drawing on his own experience of military and civil service, Davide Ghirlanda presents a collage of anecdotes and absurd situations surrounding recruitment. At twenty-five, the script of life is already readable, but looking back, in Switzerland, one question remains: were the decisions made really all mine?
GIULIA MONTESSORO
She trained as an actress at Quelli di Grock (Milan) and furthered her theatre studies through encounters with Francesco Alberici and Teatro dei Borgia. In 2024, she was among the founding members of Produzioni Y, a contemporary experimental theatre collective. With the collective, she works as an actress and as part of the organisational team of MartesOff, a performing arts festival.
HOME - Italian
It is said that goldfish lose their memory every seven seconds, and that this is what allows them to tolerate life in a glass bowl. Italian artist Giulia Montessoro draws on this metaphor to explore our inability to imagine the future, addressing the issue of the housing crisis among young people.
GINEVRA SALVAGGIO
With degrees in Philosophy and Violin from Milan, she continues her musical studies through singing and musical theatre. In 2025, she took part as dramaturg and actress in Bestiario notturno, a work inspired by the compositions of Francis Poulenc at the LAC theatre in Lugano. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Philosophy at the University of Urbino.
MIGNON - German
Drawing on Goethe’s classic, Ginevra extracts the child character of Mignon from Wilhelm Meister’s Lehrjahre. Taken from a troupe of travelling performers by the protagonist, the strange child embarks on a parallel journey, shrouded in mysterious memories and punctuated by the songs to which Schubert gave voice.
MARGOT OCÉANE
Born in France, she grew up in the Salerno area and has lived in Milan since 2019. Her artistic journey stems from the encounter between music, dance, theatre and the performing arts, and spans clowning and street theatre, leading to a two-year training in Dramatic Arts at Lab121. She continues her artistic research through seminars, festivals and contemporary performance practices.
JEZABEL - Francese
Rewriting Irène Némirovsky’s novel, Margot Oceane retraces the life of Gladys — a female Dorian Gray. Drawing also on Racine’s Phèdre, which inspired the novel, the performance delves into the story of a woman who cannot grow old, exploring themes of body image, body shaming, vanitas, and the thirst to turn other people’s misfortunes into spectacle.
JAKE ROBERTS
Jake Anthony is a London-based actor and director working within a tradition of physical theatre. He trained and collaborates with Gianpiero Borgia of Teatro dei Borgia in Italy, and is co-founder of Incontro, a new theatre company based in Southend-on-Sea with roots in the London fringe scene.
OH ROMEO! - English
The most intense infatuations often arise from what is most elusive and fleeting. Drawing on Shakespeare’s Romeo, London-based actor Jake Roberts imagines an English tourist travelling through Italy who falls in love with an entire country. What emerges is a delicate reflection on youthful love, naivety, and the phenomenon of over-tourism.
the GUESTS
During the residency programme, two artists were selected to take part in a one-week period dedicated to the development of a personal project. They are:
GIULIA MAROCCOLO
Actress, theatre teacher and cultural organiser trained at Grock MTM. She currently works both on stage and behind the scenes with various organisations across Lombardy, particularly with the Produzioni Y collective and Teatro Pedonale.
GEOFFREY PUNTER
Actor and physical theatre performer from Locarno, trained at Drama Studio London. He has collaborated with various organisations in Switzerland and the UK, including Volcano Theatre in Wales, working across ensemble productions and immersive projects.
CALL
2026
The call is open to any artist under 35, regardless of their provenance or their mother-tongue.
The main requirement is that the project must be in the language indicated by the call.
Only one project per artist can be submitted.
Send your application to direzione@studiomira.ch
For more information, download the CALL:
