Aida Rocci

regional managing editor

Aida Rocci is a Spanish theatre artist currently based in London. She was the production dramaturg for shows such as Eve Ensler’s In the Body of the World directed by Diane Paulus and Peter Brook’s The Man Who directed by Marcus Stern. She holds a Master in Fine Arts in Dramaturgy and Theater Studies from the American Repertory Theater /MXAT Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University and an MA in Advanced Theatre Practice (Distinction) from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Her MFA thesis, A New Kind of Joy: The Theatre of Dmitry Krymov, is the largest piece on the Russian director to have been written in English. She has taught at Harvard University’s Theatre Dance and Media Department as a Teaching Fellow. She also co-founded 'Punkt Collective and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

“Manimals” and the Exploration of Digital Liveness

Posted by Aida Rocci | 19th Mar 2021 | Immersive Theatre, Participatory Theatre, Transmedia, United Kingdom

Manimals, created by Michelle Hudson and her team, shines as a piece that accomplishes the difficult taste of engaging audiences across the computer screen.

“United Queendom”: When Immersive Theatre Meets Historical Reenactment Tour

Posted by Aida Rocci | 5th Mar 2020 | Immersive Theatre, London, Review, United States of America

United Queendom shines with potential. The location itself offers the thrill of being after hours in a royal palace, the expectations of whispers and court intrigue. Queen Caroline and Henrietta Howard bring a captivating tale and Les Enfants Terribles have a relevant lens to approach it and a bold aesthetic to make a memorable event. But I wished I had been part more of an immersive show than of a historical tour.

Any One Thing’s Souvenir: Being a Guest in A Dystopian Birthday Party

Posted by Aida Rocci | 15th Dec 2019 | Immersive Theatre, London, Participatory Theatre, United Kingdom

I’m crouching along with a group of strangers, waiting for Anna to arrive. I have never met Anna...

Any One Thing’s “Recollection”: Breaking The Threshold Of Immersive Theatre

Posted by Aida Rocci | 31st Mar 2019 | Immersive Theatre, London, Participatory Theatre, Review, United Kingdom

Recollection takes up to six participants in a thrilling journey about the importance of memories and personal data. Going beyond the sensational premise, the budding Any One Thing ambitiously explores the ideas of ‘personalized’ and ‘immersive’ theatre in depth, taking the genre to the boundaries of what is real.

“The Justice Syndicate”: How Do You Make Decisions? Immersive Theatre and Jury Duty

Posted by Aida Rocci | 27th Feb 2019 | Immersive Theatre, London, Participatory Theatre, Review, United Kingdom

An empty room. A large table. 12 iPads, 12 note pads, and 12 name desk holders that designate “Juror” along with a number. That is the simple setting for The Justice Syndicate, a new piece by fanSHEN. This interactive play revolves around a jury deliberation on a high-profile sexual assault case.

“Sounds And Sorcery Celebrating Disney Fantasia”: Art Installation Or Theatre?

Posted by Aida Rocci | 29th Sep 2018 | Dramaturgy, Immersive Theatre, London, Review, Theatre and Art, United Kingdom

Almost eighty years later the release of Fantasia, Sounds and Sorcery celebrates the iconic movie in an immersive production with ground-breaking technology.

“The Grift”: Theatre or Escape Room?

Posted by Aida Rocci | 1st Feb 2018 | Dramaturgy, Immersive Theatre, London, Review, United Kingdom

Theatre as a concept is related to the idea of “play.” After all, scripts are plays...

Nassim Soleimanpour and the Manila Envelope Theatre

Posted by Aida Rocci | 18th Oct 2017 | Iran, Playwriting, Review

Seven years ago, a new play challenged the role of the actor, the playwright, the audience, and the capacity of one individual to travel. The play was White Rabbit Red Rabbit, written by the mysterious Nassim Soleimanpour, an Iranian writer who encouraged the audience to email him with impressions about his play.

Foreign Radical: The Intimate Power of Interactivity

Posted by Aida Rocci | 2nd Sep 2017 | Canada, Immersive Theatre, Transmedia

Please, take your laptops out of the suitcase. Liquids in a plastic bag. No belts. No shoes....

Lina Tur Bonet On Creativity, Collaboration and Taking the Corset out of the Classics

Posted by Aida Rocci | 14th Jul 2017 | Interview, London, Spain, Transcultural Collaborations, Transmedia, United Kingdom

As a storyteller and music performer, Lina Tur Bonet is wary of fusions. Last May, she was part of the presentation Made In Murcia that took place at the Cervantes Theatre in London.

Secret Cinema’s “Moulin Rouge”: The Bohemian Revolution in Immersive Format

Posted by Aida Rocci | 7th Jul 2017 | Immersive Theatre, London, Review, Transmedia, United Kingdom

At the core of Secret Cinema, there is the promise of daring to be different. Combining the realms...

Defying “Romeo And Juliet” at The Shakespeare’s Globe

Posted by Aida Rocci | 9th Jun 2017 | London, Review, United Kingdom

In “Romeo and Juliet” directed by Daniel Kramer, love, desire and violence are layered on top of each other, and with bold visuals and a daring interpretation, the classic releases its full power to examine violence and what can save us from it.

“Alice’s Adventures Underground”: New Immersive Limits Down the Rabbit Hole

Posted by Aida Rocci | 1st Jun 2017 | Immersive Theatre, London, Review, United Kingdom

“Drink me” or “Eat me.” Like Neo, in The Matrix, you are presented with a simple dichotomy that...

Romeo, Juliet, and You: CoLab Theatre is Back Challenging the Bard with Interactivity

Posted by Aida Rocci | 2nd Apr 2017 | Dramaturgy, Immersive Theatre, London, Review, United Kingdom

“But he which bore my letter, Friar John, Was stay’d by accident, and yesternight...

So You Want to Go to the Edinburgh Festival?

Posted by Aida Rocci | 22nd Mar 2017 | Festivals, Scotland

If you are a performer, comedian, musician, or artist of any kind, presenting your work at the Edinburgh festival can be quite an enterprise that might only pay off in terms of experience and, if lucky, reputation.

Bilingual Conversations at the Cervantes Theatre: An Interview With Paula Paz

Posted by Aida Rocci | 16th Mar 2017 | Interview, London, Spain, Transcultural Collaborations, Translation, United Kingdom

Interview with Paula Paz, Associate Director of the Cervantes Theatre, the new theatre with hopes of becoming a house of Spanish and Latin American theatre and culture in London.

Building Bridges: A Transcultural Collaboration Between Spain and the UK

Posted by Aida Rocci | 19th Jan 2017 | News, Spain, Transcultural Collaborations, United Kingdom

Rodrigo Arribas (from Span’s Fundación Siglo de Oro) describes the transnational collaborative process that gave rise to his company, which has been the first to present a non-English speaking author at the Shakespeare Globe. Reflecting on the models that have arisen from the collaboration between Spain and the UK, he reflects on what differentiates and unites us in theatre.