Firenza Guidi: The moment I stop being challenged, I stop doing circus

Magical realism, where events follow their own peculiar logic and nothing is as it seems, is characteristic of the work of the director Firenza Guidi. Guidi is a writer-director and performance creator whose experience spans the globe. Born in Milan, Firenza left Italy in 1980 after graduating in Modern Languages from the University of Milan. She lived in Belfast until 1987 and then moved to Cardiff, Wales, which remains her home base. She has also directed numerous productions with the Welsh NoFit State Circus, including Bianco and Sabotage, which was performed at the Letní Letná festival in Prague. In 2017, Firenza Guidi directed the opening performance at Letní Letná, titled Bestiario. This time, she returns to the Czech Republic to collaborate with Losers Cirque Company at Divadlo Bravo in Prague. In her premiere production Cizinec (The Stranger), she aims to push performers out of their comfort zones to uncover the hidden scars of their souls. You are listening to Cirqueon Circus Podcast with Veronika Jošková Štefanová. Author/editor: Veronika Jošková Štefanová Foto: Pavel Hejný