When Passion Becomes a Stage
Two women. Two different journeys. One shared vision.
01 — OUR STORY
Every great story begins with an idea. Sometimes, all it takes is the courage to bring it to life.
Italian Stage Collective was founded in New York by Ivana Di Giacomo and Ilaria Ceglia, two Italian women with different professional backgrounds, distinct personalities, and a passion for theater that brought their creative worlds together.
Their paths could hardly have been more different.
Ivana, with a long-standing career in international travel, communication, and event management, had already experienced the magic of performing on stage in Italy.
Ilaria, a neuroscientist and researcher with a lifelong connection to the performing arts, brought a perspective shaped by her fascination with human behavior, emotions, and the complexity of the mind.
Two different worlds. One extraordinary meeting point: the desire to tell stories.
What brought them together was more than a love of theater. It was a shared creative instinct, a curiosity about human nature, and the conviction that stories have the power to connect people across languages, backgrounds, and cultures.
From that vision, Italian Stage Collective was born.
Not simply as a theater company, but as an independent creative space where ideas become scripts, scripts become performances, and passion becomes something real.
Because sometimes you don’t have to wait for an opportunity. You have to create it.
02 — OUR VISION
Rooted in Italy. Created in New York. Made for everyone.
Italian Stage Collective celebrates the richness and expressive power of Italian theater while embracing the cultural diversity of the American stage.
Our stories explore what makes us human: love, friendship, family, contradictions, expectations, misunderstandings, and all those complicated, sometimes absurd, yet endlessly fascinating connections that shape our lives.
We believe theater should entertain, inspire, challenge perspectives, and create moments in which audiences recognize something of themselves.
We believe in the power of laughter, the beauty of storytelling, and the extraordinary emotions that can emerge from the most ordinary situations.
Our theatrical work is rooted in the Italian language, with English surtitles helping us connect with audiences beyond linguistic and cultural boundaries.
Because emotions are universal. And a great story should never be limited by language.
03 — FROM AN IDEA TO THE STAGE
One of the most exciting aspects of creating theater is watching something that once existed only in the imagination come to life.
That journey took shape with Le Relazioni, an original theatrical comedy conceived and written by Ivana Di Giacomo and Ilaria Ceglia.
Inspired by their observations of everyday life, human relationships, and the wonderfully unpredictable nature of human behavior, the play brings together a series of stories moving between humor, irony, tenderness, and unexpected twists.
But writing a play is only the beginning.
Bringing an entirely original work to the stage for the very first time is a challenge unlike any other. There is no previous production to follow, no established interpretation to recreate, and no ready-made theatrical blueprint.
Every character, every movement, every rhythm, and every transition must find its own identity.
For this challenge, Vanessa Innocenti took on the direction of Le Relazioni, bringing her theatrical experience, artistic sensitivity, and creative interpretation to a work that had never before been staged.
Working closely with the cast, she helped transform the original script into a living theatrical experience, shaping the performances and giving movement, rhythm, and emotional depth to the stories imagined by its creators.
Behind the scenes, bringing the production to life required countless hours of writing, planning, rehearsals, coordination, and dedication.
What began as an idea shared by two women became a collective theatrical achievement, made possible through the commitment of everyone involved.
From the first written words to the moment the curtain rises, every step is part of the story.
04 — THE FOUNDERS
Ivana Di Giacomo
Co-Founder | Writer Creator and actress
For Ivana, theater has never been simply a passion. It has been part of who she is for as long as she can remember.
Her connection to the performing arts began at the age of six, when she first discovered the worlds of theater and dance, alongside years of training in artistic and rhythmic gymnastics. From an early age, movement, expression, creativity, and the excitement of performing became an essential part of her life.
As the years went by, life led her in different directions.
With a background in journalism and more than 28 years of professional experience in international travel and event management, she built a career around people, communication, creativity, and bringing complex projects to life.
Yet, no matter where life took her, her love for the stage never truly faded. Theater remained there, quietly but persistently, a part of herself that time, responsibilities, and professional commitments could never erase.
Because some passions are not simply hobbies. They are part of who we are.
Founding Italian Stage Collective represents much more than a return to theater. It is the opportunity to reconnect with a creative spirit that has accompanied her since childhood and to finally give new life to stories, ideas, and emotions that have been waiting to find their way onto a stage.
Combining her artistic sensibility with years of organizational and professional experience, Ivana brings both imagination and determination to the project.
Together with Ilaria, she conceived and wrote Le Relazioni, contributing to its creative development, artistic identity, and production.
For Ivana, Italian Stage Collective is proof that life may take you down unexpected paths, but the passions that truly belong to you always find a way back.
Ilaria Ceglia
Co-Founder | Writer Creator and actress
A neuroscientist and researcher with a PhD and an extensive professional background at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, Ilaria has dedicated much of her career to exploring the extraordinary complexity of the human mind.
But science is only one side of her story.
Her artistic sensitivity, developed through years of classical ballet and a lifelong appreciation for performance, has always accompanied her intellectual curiosity.
For Ilaria, theater offers another way of exploring human behavior — not through scientific observation, but through characters, emotions, contradictions, and stories.
Her fascination with the intricate dynamics that connect people finds a natural creative expression in theatrical writing and performance.
As co-founder of Italian Stage Collective, she brings her unique perspective, imagination, and sensitivity to the development of original theatrical work.
Together with Ivana, she conceived and wrote Le Relazioni, transforming a shared creative vision into an original stage production.
05— THE DIRECTOR OF LE RELAZIONI
Vanessa Innocenti
Italian actress, performer, and director Vanessa Innocenti embraced the creative challenge of bringing Le Relazioni to the stage for its first-ever production.
Drawing on her theatrical experience and artistic interpretation, she guided the cast and helped give shape, rhythm, and emotional depth to this original work, transforming the creators’ words into a live theatrical performance.
Discover more about Vanessa — Visit Her Official Website
06— OUR JOURNEY IS JUST BEGINNING
Italian Stage Collective was born from a shared belief: creativity has no borders, passion has no expiration date, and meaningful stories deserve to be told.
What started as an idea between two women has grown into an independent theatrical project brought to life through collaboration, dedication, and the energy of everyone involved.
From New York to Philadelphia, each performance represents another opportunity to connect with an audience, celebrate Italian creativity, and share the extraordinary power of live theater.
And while every production marks an important milestone, it also opens the door to new ideas, new stories, and new possibilities.
Because sometimes the most important stories are the ones we finally find the courage to tell.
And ours is only beginning.
DISCOVER LE RELAZIONI | MEET OUR CAST | JOIN US AT THE THEATER