About.

I’m a native Italian actress, film and theatre maker, operating in Europe, the UK and Mexico.

Born in a small village in Northern Italy, I developed a passion for theatre from a very young age—I wrote my first play at 8, which was performed by my class in front of the entire school!

From age 15, I was a member of Retroscena, a young theatre company dedicated to devising new theatre shows every summer in various festivals in Italy.

After high school, I initially studied Architecture at the University of Udine, before switching to a BA in Japanese language and culture at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.

However, during my second year, I realised I wanted to dedicate myself to acting full-time. Following a five-month student exchange at Tokai Daigaku University in Japan—where I joined the university theatre club and performed in Japanese—I graduated and set in motion my plan to become a full-time actor.

I moved to London in 2014, and one year later, I was accepted to the MA Acting course at Guildford School of Acting.

Theatre.

Straight after drama school, I co-founded Encompass Theatre Collective with fellow alumni. With them, I produced and performed several shows across the UK and Italy, collaborating with external directors (Twelfth Night by Mariagiovanna Rosati Hansen) and creating devised works (Lovers Anonymous, Call It Barriers) as well as new writing (Goethe + Christiane by Joseph Prestwich). Through this experience, I was introduced to the world of producing.

Alongside Encompass (which stopped after 2020), I am still a member of ShakeItUp Theatre – The Improvised Shakespeare Show, a company that creates long-form improvised shows based on Shakespeare’s work. We perform all over the UK and Europe, and we have been at the Edinburgh Fringe since 2023. For the company, I have also designed the posters and our costumes.

I have also worked as a physical theatre performer and deviser in the shows (don’t) touch me and Untravelled with State Of Flux, and On Mother’s Day and Unbelonger with Ekata Theatre.

I wrote and performed my first one-woman show, The Cannoneer, produced by Ekata Theatre, which premiered in Helsinki in November 2022.

In 2023, I wanted to keep growing in my practice, and I got accepted to study at HB Studio in New York.

In 2024, I added another language to my repertoire and performed in German in the theatre show Der kleine Weihnachtsmann ganz Groß!, directed by Frank Radüg.

Film.

My introduction to screen came in 2011, when I played Emma in the movie Il Piú Bel Giorno Della Mia Vita, by Luca Tarondi and Simon Franklin.

But it was during my time in drama school that my love for filmmaking blossomed. Using the school’s camera equipment, I began writing and shooting zero-budget short films with classmates. I worked as assistant director and producer for the short film Stella, and as writer and actress in Smoked.

Among other projects, in 2020, I worked as a puppeteer and actress in the comedy horror feature film Creatures, directed by Tony Jopia.

Most recently, I played Chi Chi in the rom-com No Translation Required, starring Cristo Fernández, and The Rebel in Alla festa della rivoluzione with Riccardo Scamarcio and directed by Arnaldo Catinari.

Alongside acting, I have also worked behind the scenes. In London, I was production manager for Neon Picturehouse on Richard Fairlie’s music video The Reason I’m Breathing, and on the BAFTA-nominated interactive series Dead Man’s Phone (Season 2-4) I have also worked in the costume department for the TV series Ted Lasso Season 3.

Creed.

As an artist, I like to collaborate with creatives from different cultures and backgrounds. I love learning about different approaches to art and to life, and I’m inspired by exchange and cross-contamination.

I’m also interested in working with different time periods, exploring traditions and past events as a way of better understanding our present and future.

I want to create art that makes us better as a society, that raises questions and strives for answers, but that is also fun and enjoyable to watch, even in its more dramatic forms.

This need has given birth to my most recent projects, Annabella, a short film about an Italian woman navigating online dating in London and the disconnection people face in today’s world—both with others and with themselves—and The Cannoneer, a one-woman show about the historical character of Peppa The Cannoneer, the Sicilian orphan who fought during the unification of Italy in 1860.

Personal projects.

Get in touch.

If you would like to collaborate or have any questions about my work, I would love to hear
from you:

silvia.manazzone@gmail.com