Roberto Pacini

• Name — Roberto Pacini • Birthplace — Florence, Italy • Occupation — Director, Author, Producer • Occupation — Producer

He lives and works in Rome. In 1987, he attended the Bottega Teatrale di Firenze (Florentine Theatre School) directed by Vittorio Gassman. In 1993, he was awarded a degree in Drama and Performing Arts at the Silvio D'Amico National Academy of Dramatic Art, the most important Italian performing arts institute for theatre directors and actors.

He made his debut as director in 1994 and since 1996 he has been a theatre playwright and director. The range of his performances belongs to the so-called Word Theatre; he developed its qualities creating drama compositions that already determine interpretation key and the work on the Text and on the Actors is essential. In years, he carries out in his own working method and style, visionary and grotesque, and his research gives unusual reading of classic works (Anton Chekhov, Kafka, Pirandello, Shakespeare) and contemporary authors. Performances, usually located in spaces not appointed to theatre presentations, go beyond the realism dimension and they offer fantastic suggestions, irrational, with strong expressionistic tints. Original soundtracks – by musicians and bands – are always composed for every show. Among the significant titles: La Locanda Hauser (Hauser Inn) (1995), from Maupassant's tales, L'Ospedale dei Mentecatti (Hospital for the Insane People) (1996), from A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by Joyce, and The Night just before the Forests (2000) by Bernard-Marie Koltès, the first time on national stages in an unabridged edition. By Koltès, he also realized the first Italian version of Heritage (2002). In 2003, he has been nominated Artistic Director of CTD theatre company of Rome and produced Classic Works (Aeschylus, Shakespeare, Herman Melville) and Italian and International New Writing Works. He has founded and directed Cadmo & Armonia theatre company (1994) and afterwards Il Teatro di Puck (Puck's Theatre) (1998).

Licensed under the Creative Commons, he produced and directed The Briefcase (2011), about the 2008 financial crisis, Animals/Man (2011), a new spot for Public Service Broadcasting, Time (2013) against Death Penalty worldwide, The Diary of an Assistant Bookkeeper (2012–2013), a mini-web series from the original tale by Anton Chekhov, English version of his first short film with new footage, a new editing and music by Nine Inch Nails, and Shapes (2013) on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Bombing of Rome in World War II. In 2015, direction of Exit an experimental video work presented as "The old and the new, on leaving", music by Chris Zabriskie, American artist he too inspired by Creative Commons and the open source movement. In 2019 he produced Sintuit, "a 2064 television advertisement" but, in fact, a present-day video about the Global warming and in 2020 The Mall, a COVID-19 pandemic experience: “What IF?”.

Among his late works, Frags (2025), a Super 8 mm work based on a quote by Malala Yousafzai, A Halloween story (2025), a tribute to Ed Wood, Fractal Wrongness (2024) on Critical Thinking from the RationalWiki entry of the same name and The Seven (2023) licensed under the Creative Commons.

• At the Night Cafè (1993) • Hauser Inn (1994–1997) • Chekhov from Chekhov (1995) • Hospital for the Insane People (1996) • Mr Agenore and Mr Bordon (1997) • The Night just before the Forests (1999) • The Alchemist of Mantua (2000) • The Winter's Tale (2000) • From an Under Accountant diary (2001) • Sunlight (2006) • Being Fed Up (2007) • Mr Filipponi (2009) • Dreams & Colors (2010) • The Briefcase (2011) • The Empty Chair (2012) • Time (2013) • Shapes (2013) • Exit (2015) • FPM (2017) • The Enthusiasm of a Child (2018) • 13 Years later (2019) • The Mall (2020) • The Dusk (2021) • His Choice (2022) • The Seven (2023) • Fractal Wrongness (2024) • Frags (2025)