Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Federica Borlenghi

Federica Borlenghi shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Federica , a huge thanks to you for investing the time to share your wisdom with those who are seeking it. We think it’s so important for us to share stories with our neighbors, friends and community because knowledge multiples when we share with each other. Let’s jump in: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
In the past year, I collaborated twice with Theater Alaska, a theater company based in Juneau (AK) as a Set & Props Designer. I know, can you believe it? It’s quite a magical place. When Artistic Director Flordelino Lagundino invited me to return to Juneau once more to lead a Theater Summer Camp and generate a new piece for the company’s annual Climate Fair, I accepted with enthusiasm. I immediately recruited my dear collaborator – and superb teaching artist – Covi Loveridge Brannan, and we co-lead 7 brilliant participants aged 8 to 12 in our 5-day camp: The Stay Cool Camp.
For the first two days, we spent time getting to know one another, playing games, and familiarizing ourselves with the participants’ knowledge and interests regarding the environment and climate justice. By the third day, our young artists had already generated an impressive amount of material, and made it very easy for Covi and I to assemble it all together in what ended up being our show “All The Fish Are Gone!”, following the tales of a forbidden love between an eagle and a whale stuck in a trash vortex, an evil chef an her trash restaurant, and an influencer and a fisherman saving Juneau from pollution thanks to TikTok. To say that we were in awe at the level of participation of these theater-makers in the making is an understatement. The level of exuberance, creativity, dedication to learn and try, and the joy of making theater as an ensemble were incredibly nurturing to witness and be part of. It reminded me of why I chose theater to begin with: collaboration, community. I am incredibly proud of what we were able to achieve in the span of only 6 days, and I am hoping I will get to teach more devising workshops with younger generations very soon.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a freelance theater-maker from Milan, Italy, based in Brooklyn. Predominantly a Writer-Director, I specialize in development of new work for the stage. I also actively work in the industry as a Producer, Designer, and as a Teaching Artist. My work has been acclaimed by critics, and presented all over New York, in Denver (CO), and San Juan (PR). I am also excited to announce that I am the editor of a new online publication, “From The Neighborhood”, co-curated with What Will The Neighbors Say?, an investigative indie theater company with a mission to provoke questions through untold stories. The online magazine is dedicated to amplify voices of theater-makers, their experiences, and their perspectives on the industry, Featuring an ample variety of theater professionals, specializing in production roles often unrepresented by the media, with a focus on radical constructivism.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
I learn the most about my work by my teachers.
I was lucky to be taught by working artists since a young age. Being supported by relatives and friends is certainly fantastic, but being believed in by an artist you admire and look up to is a different kind of fuel.
I am grateful for the passion and care my favorite teachers gifted me with, as their student. I carry their lessons with me in every production I get to lead. I like to believe – or at least hope – that I am a product of their teachings, a small extension of their expertises. I always try to pay homage to my teachers by actively bringing to the room something they taught me or showed me – not to mention the amount of times I quote them throughout a process.
They not only taught me how to work, they instilled in me discipline, principles, values, attitudes to favor and lead rooms with.
In college, I had a fantastic Acting Teacher, Alex Correia. I enrolled in his class every single semester, even after I abandoned the idea of pursing a career as an actor. I learnt the most as a director by watching him direct my classmates in scene study classes. He taught me to be personal, mindful, studious, attentive, to be silly for no reason at all, to not shy away from a feeling or an intuition, to be prepared, to stay open, and to stay voracious when it comes to art; to start from where I am and with who I have around me, rather than being fixated with what’s on the horizon. He taught me to be meticulous, observant, to seek for softness, lightness, and textures in a story, and to pace yourself, rather than pushing on the gas all the way through. He taught me that drama and darkness can be beautiful too, if looked at with the right amount of empathy and sympathy. And he taught me to stay humble. And that I am never going to stop learning.

What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
“Fake it till you make it” is a very dangerous motto to hold onto. Resourcefulness is key, in every industry, but especially in the theater industry. However, one thing is being open and willing to learn, the other is not being transparent about your abilities and knowledge, which is a common mistake that many make freshly out of college. And it’s potentially detrimental mistake, especially when it comes to experience and skill-based situations. I was advised to stir away from it, and to stay honest, direct, and realistic.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
Practicing emotional safety in theatrical rooms, for all collaborators involved. We need access to crisis counselors, and therapeutic specialists that can help us detach from the art and not bring grave contents at home, and not carry them within, especially after a production. Oh we need post-production processing time too!
I am very passionate about this subject matter, and I look forward to the day I’ll have more access to resources to provide my collaborators with. Until then, I make it imperative to speak up about it, and provide my teams with a language to being able to check-in communally or inform us when we need time and space on our own.
Theater in New York is a business, but it’s hard and vulnerable! It deserves a proper system to deal with this aspect of its nature.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. When do you feel most at peace?
In nature. No matter if I am by a shore, in the woods, in a park of any size, or simply on my balcony facing BedStuy’s lovely backyards, I breathe, and fully recharge.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://federicaborlenghi.com
• Instagram: fedeborlenghi

Image Credits
Alexia Haick