Giovanni Onorato has established himself on the Italian theatre scene through a distinctive trajectory in which scenographic writing, body, irony, and poetic tension intertwine, giving rise to hybrid forms suspended between theatre, performance, and musical composition. With ASTERIONE, this research is distilled into a two-person composition for musician and vocal performer, entirely set in darkness. At its core is not so much the myth of the Minotaur, but its condition: Asterion is a liminal figure, secluded, monstrous, and at the same time perfectly aligned with the space he inhabits.
The language oscillates between a live musical set and a theatrical monologue, between the immediacy of performance and the emotional line of narration. Rather than a rewriting of the myth, ASTERIONE takes the form of a small ritual of reconnection with otherness and with what our culture of full visibility continues to expel: darkness, night, doubt, and the unresolved part of the human condition. In the background lies a constellation of references—from Borges to Cortázar—that returns to the Minotaur not his monstrosity, but his profound solitude.
Giovanni Onorato | Born in Rome in 1995, he pursued his theater training outside of traditional academies. Key influences on his development include encounters with Roberto Latini, Daria Deflorian, and Antonio Rezza, as well as Adriano Mainolfi’s performance workshop, which he attended for three years. In 2016, he moved to Berlin, where he studied contemporary dance for a year at Tanzfabrik Berlin. Upon returning to Rome, he worked with Dante Antonelli, Filippo Timi, and the Fettarappa/Guerrieri company. In 2020, he debuted his first work, Suck my Iperuranio, which blends stand-up comedy and contemporary dramaturgy. His second project, A.L.D.E. non ho mai voluto essere qui, continues his cross-media research, this time reworking elements of musical theater and autofiction. The project was a finalist for the Biennale College open call, won a special mention at the “tuttoteatro.com” Dante Cappelletti Prize, received the DirectionUnder30 Award, and won Best Text at the ToFringe. It ultimately debuted in the Anni Luce section of the 2023 RomaEuropa Festival. He was invited by the companies Deflorian/Tagliarini and Muta Imago to join the INDEX project. He attended the Malagola advanced training course, where he met Andrea Veneri and began working on his new production, ASTERIONE. He is currently working on projects by Claudio Larena and Filippo M. Ceredi. He studies philosophy and writes songs. He has worked as a waiter, a baker, a detective, and a driver.
production 369gradi
in collaboration with Ateliersì
with the support of PimOff and Asteria Space
production residency Carrozzerie n.o.t, Teatro Biblioteca Quarticciolo
