The Mascheraviva Company

The company was founded in 2008 under the name Circo Improvviso, but the strength of its actors lies in transformation: in 2023, the company changed its name to MascheraViva.

It consistently engages in the creation and distribution of performances. The actors are authors and creators of their shows, which blend contemporary circus arts, stilt-walking techniques, transformation art, and figure theatre. To date, the company has performed several hundred times across Europe.

The company consists of Pietro Rasoti and Miriam Calautti, artists with diverse educational experiences in theater, circus, crafts, and costume design.

They are the creators, designers, scenographers, producers, and performers of every single costume.

Distinctive features of their theatrical production include: the radical dismantling of boundaries between different disciplines, the technique of transformation on stilts, and the choice of a subtle and sometimes intangible poetic narrative made not of words but of imagery and music.

Their shows use a universal language, making them suitable for all types of audiences. The company has performed in a variety of contexts: street art festivals, children’s theater festivals, contemporary circus festivals, conventions, private and corporate events. The company strengthens the scene with a new and original figure theater, also thanks to the significant artistic legacy left by Luigi Sicuranza.

Pietro Rasoti

Born in Florence in 1989. At just 13 years old, he learned stilt-walking techniques, which later became his artistic forte. At 17, he inherited the show “Altolivello” from artist Luigi Sicuranza, leading him to successful performances in Italy and abroad. In his artistic journey, he combined this successful first show with a diverse education, attending theater, circus, and contemporary dance courses and workshops. In 2009, he co-founded the Circo Improvviso company with Miriam Calautti, a versatile, constantly evolving company active in producing various shows. The company became MascheraViva in 2023. Thanks to many years of theatrical production, he became a veritable costume engineer. Following his artistic experience, he handles artistic direction and coordination for private and corporate events. Over the years, he has collaborated with several nationally renowned companies.

Miriam Calautti

Born in Turin in 1988. Since adolescence, she has been involved in theater, complementing her theatrical training with the study of circus arts and acrobatics. A social theater project took her to Brazil as a young woman to work with the youth of the favelas. In 2008, she moved to Tuscany, where she promoted reading education and expressive reading projects in schools. In 2009, she co-founded the Circo Improvviso company, now MascheraViva, with Pietro Rasoti. She is consistently involved in the creation of shows for the company, as both an actress and creator. In the scenic realization of the shows, she specializes in set design and theatrical tailoring. Passionate about theater pedagogy, she trained at the Gesthalt Florence Institute as a Theater Therapist. This training allowed her to expand her skills through the use of voice, sensitive dance, and expressive body. Thanks to this education, she explores new performative possibilities and a renewed form of theater as the art of the soul. Since 2016, she has been teaching theater to all age groups.