Allegra Libonati
I am a freelance director for theater, opera, and circus. As a lover of music, magic, dance, masks and puppets, my work often incorporates these theatrical elements. I have directed productions nationally and internationally and am grateful for the inspired collaborations I’ve experienced with incomparable artists around the world. My work comes in many shapes and sizes - including Shakespeare, plays, musicals, TYA, opera, concerts, variety shows, opera, and immersive events. While I work in many genres, I am always striving unearth a universal collective experience.
As the Resident Director/ Artistic Associate at the American Repertory Theater for 9 years I contributed to the direction and development of countless productions including the immersive phenomenon Sleep No More, Tony Award Winning Broadway Revival of Pippin, Prometheus Bound with Serj Tankien (System of a Down), Steven Sater, and Amnesty International, The Tempest with Teller, Tom Waits, and Piobolus, and In the Body of the World with V (formerly knowns as Eve Ensler).
Broadway Credits include Tony Award Winning Broadway revival of Hair (Associate Director).
My most recent Shakespeare production, Romeo and Juliet, played in the Boston Common for the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. The production was met with excellent reviews and played for audiences of up to 8,000 people per night. Other loved Shakespeare productions include Julius Caesar at the Old Globe, San Diego and King Lear at the Hilberry Theatre, Detroit. In addition, I directed seven beloved seasons of outdoor Shakespeare productions at the Summer Theatre of New Canaan.
I have directed 10 seasons of musicals including My Fair Lady, South Pacific (9 Broadway World Nominations), Hairspray (10 Broadway World Nominations), Legally Blonde (12 Broadway World Nominations). Currently I have multiple new musicals in varying phases of development.
Latest immersive projects include Usher’s Las Vegas Residency concert Preshow Backstory Experience currently playing at The Coliseum, Las Vegas. Previously, Peter Pan's Neverland, premiered in Beijing, China in a 50,000 sq foot warehouse where families were able to physically adventure through Neverland itself.
I started the children's theater program at the American Repertory Theater where I developed, taught, and managed theater classes for ages 4-12, as well as devised and directed original family productions for the A.R.T. season. Shows include The Snow Queen, which went on to be produced in multiple venues across the country, Hansel and Gretel, The Light Princess, which transferred to the New Victory Theater, NYC, and The Pirate Princess, a new musical based on Twelfth Night.
I fell in love with opera directing Stravinsky's The Rakes Progress for the Boston Lyric Opera at the Cutler Magestic Theater. A mash-up of opera, dance theater and magic, the opera took a bold new angle on the opera and was met with great reviews. Other productions include Opera Omaha’s production of Verdi’s Falstaff and Gorilla Opera’s premiere of Troubled Waters. As an AD, I traveled internationally with Death and the Powers, A Robot Opera, convinced by the MIT Media Lab and composed by Tod Machover.
Favorite plays directed include Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Big Love, The Illusion, Life's A Dream, The Island.
I am currently the director for the hit variety show Opium produced by Spiegelworld running nightly at the Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas. Prior to the pandemic I directed my first bit top circus, Celestia at the Strat Hotel and Casino, under the guidance of producer Brian Burke (Creative Director for America’s Got Talent/Artistic Director for Franco Dragone) which became winner of Best New Show and Best acrobatic Show, Best of Las Vegas Awards 2019.
As Associate Director to Diane Paulus: Death and the Powers a Robot's Opera (Dallas Opera Theater, Chicago Opera Theater, A.R.T. Monaco Opera) Crossing: A New American Opera (Brooklyn Acadamy of Muisc, A.R.T.) Prometheus Bound: A Dammed God in Chains (A.R.T.) In the Body of the World by Eve Ensler (A.R.T.) 9 Years as Resident Director for The Donkey Show (Adrian Arscht Center, Miami, A.R.T.)
As Associate Director to Teller (of Penn & Teller) and Aaron Posner: The Tempest (A.R.T., The Smith Center, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Southcoast Repertory Theater)
I guest teach classes and workshops at Harvard University, MIT, Wayne State University, University of Nevada Las Vegas, and Westfield State University. I am a member of Tut’Zanni Commedia Company, a student at the Academia Dell'Arte in Arezzo, Italy, and graduate of Tisch School of the Arts, NYU (BFA) and Carnegie Mellon University (MFA).
On the Horizon I am looking forward to working at Northcoast Repertory Theatre where I will remount a previously sold-out production of Always Patsy Cline for the holidays.
Personal CV can be viewed here.