CARMINE DE AMICIS
stage director & choreographer
RECENT AND UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS
- Puccini's Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi (director), by Teatro Nacional São Carlos of Lisbon, at Coliseu Porto (2026) and Centro Cultura de Belém (2025);
- Rossini's Guillaume Tell (choreographer), at the Opéra de Lausanne (2026);
- Wagner's Siegfried (choreographer), at the NCPA Beijing (2026);
- R. Strauss' Salome (assistant director), at Seattle Opera (2026);
- Wagner's Tristan und Isolde (assistant director), at the Teatro Carlo Felice of Genova (2026);
- J. Strauss II's Die Fledermaus
(choreographer), at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège (2025);
- Rossini's La Cambiale di Matrimonio
(assistant director), at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro (2025);
- R. Strauss' Salome (revival director), at the Teatro Massimo di Palermo (2025);
- R. Strauss' Die Liebe der Danae (assistant director and choreographer), at the Teatro Carlo Felice (2025);
- Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi
(choreographer), by the English Tour Opera (2025);
- Verdi's Falstaff (director), at the Teatro Massimo di Palermo (2024).
BIOGRAPHY
Italian stage director & choreographer Carmine de Amicis pursued a degree in Translation at Roma Tre University, specialising in English, Italian, French and German. Language opened a further dimension of cultural understanding that he continued to explore through European dance history and its social context. As an undergraduate, he developed research into European court and popular dances, examining rhythmic structures, cultural hybridity, and the politics of touch as revealed in choreographic traces within literary sources.
He continued his academic journey at the University of Chichester, completing a Master’s degree in Dance Performance and Choreography. His research focused on couple dance forms, particularly the origins of Ballroom as a hybrid art, shaped by historical encounters between European, African, and North and South American traditions. This research became the conceptual foundation of EDIFICE, the company he co-directs with Harriet Waghorn, where they have pioneered the use of Ballroom principles within contemporary theatre.
He further developed his operatic directing skills through the programme offered by the Verona Academy of Opera, expanding his understanding of staging, dramaturgy and musical collaboration. He also qualified in stage combat with the British Academy of Dramatic Combat, which enriches his work in physical theatre and opera.
De Amicis received formal training in Ballroom, and at the National Academy of Dance in Rome he studied Ballet, Contemporary Dance, score reading and repertoire. He was Associate Lecturer at the University of Chichester, where he taught contemporary theatre repertoire and dance technique, and have led movement masterclasses for singers at the Royal College of Music, Greenwich Opera and Morley College.
In the 2025/26 season, Carmine opened the season at Teatro Nacional de São Carlos directing Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi by Puccini. His short film Paolo e Francesca received an award at the 2025 Global Short Film Awards in Cannes. A finalist for the Off West End Awards with Bluebeard’s Castle, he continues to develop hybrid, interdisciplinary works that expand the expressive possibilities of opera and movement-based theatre. Closing the season, he will reprise Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi at the Coliseu Porto Ageas.
Carmine De Amicis has collaborated with institutions including the Royal Opera House, Rossini Opera Festival, Teatro Regio Torino, Teatro Massimo Palermo, Welsh National Opera, Opéra National du Rhin, Seattle Opera, National Centre for the Performing Arts Beijing, Teatro Nacional de São Carlos, Opéra Royal de Wallonie, Bunka Kaikan Tokyo, Fondazione Teatro Carlo Felice, Opéra de Lausanne, Opéra Dijon, Fondazione Teatro Donizetti, Göttingen Handel Festival, Nederlandse Reisopera, Dubai Opera, Royal Opera House Muscat, Garsington Opera, Grange Park Opera, Longborough Festival Opera, English Touring Opera, Opéra Saint‑Étienne, Pfalztheater Kaiserslautern, Festival Internazionale di Musica Antica Erice, Festival dal Tramonto all’Alba, Hampstead Garden Opera, and Gothic Opera.
Among his next commitments, Carmine De Amicis will sign the choreography of Rossini’s Guillaume Tell at the Opéra de Lausanne, and will be assistant director of Strauss' Salome at the Seattle Opera.