Aria Martinelli

Actor | Playwright 

Brooklyn, New York | Bergamo, Italy

As an artist, I work to layer form, voice, and medium to reveal the many textures and multiple truths a story can hold. I am fascinated by theater that breaks the fourth wall and invites the audience into the world of the play. I draw inspiration from companies like Complicité, The Moment Work Institute, and The Handspring Puppet Company, as well as from artists such as Tiago Rodrigues and Anna Deavere Smith.

I am compelled to engage in international projects and explore performance across languages and cultures. I’m interested in creating theater that examines relationships through an absurdist lens—work that is both fearless and tender. I’m drawn to performance that is fluid and multidimensional, that expands beyond the fixed stage into an ever-evolving, boundless terrain.

As a writer, I’m interested in work that weaves traditional, text-based storytelling with abstract, experimental forms—to create a space where both can coexist, merge, and transform.

I like to think of myself as a theater collager.