"Cinisca, La principessa che parlava ai cavalli"

Year: 2026

Type / context: Contemporary theatre production on sport, gender and myth, within the Mythos – Classical Theatre Festival (Olympia cycle) and related programmes for schools and general audiences.

Partners, institutions and production:

Production: Tema Cultura / Compagnia Tema Cultura Academy

Festival / framework: Mythos – Festival di Teatro Classico (Olympia), with performances at Teatro Mario Del Monaco (Treviso), Teatro Dino Buzzati (Belluno), Biblioteca Montebelluna and other venues.

Text and direction: Giovanna Cordov

Performer: solo performer in the role of Cinisca (as credited by Tema Cultura; name to be inserted from official playbill).

Role: sound design and live audio direction: creation of the sound score and soundscapes for the production and real‑time audio mixing; design of the spatial and dynamic behaviour of sound in relation to text, music and projected images. Video concept: development, together with the creative team, of an AI‑based visual layer for the semi‑transparent tulle “holographic” projections, using AI‑generated video material to extend the narrative space beyond the physical stage.

Short description:

“Cinisca. La principessa che parlava ai cavalli” tells the story of Cinisca, Spartan princess and daughter of King Archidamus II, the first woman in history to win an Olympic event (chariot racing in 396 BCE). The piece re‑examines her figure between history and myth to question how a woman can assert herself in a world structured for male heroism, and what remains invisible in the official narratives of sport and power. The staging combines spoken narration, music and an AI‑generated visual layer: images created with generative tools are projected onto semi‑transparent tulle, producing a holographic effect where bodies and projections coexist on different planes. The sound design works in tandem with these images, alternating intimacy and epic breadth, and building a sonic environment that links horses, water, movement and memory, reinforcing the ethical and emotional core of Cinisca’s story

Official link