From the laboratories to the stage: Accademia Costume & Moda students create the costumes for the world premiere of Tosca e i Pupi Siciliani

How is a stage costume created for a major theatrical production? This time, the answer comes from the Costume Laboratories at the Roman Campus of Accademia Costume & Moda, where, over several months, second-year students of the BA in Costume & Fashion worked on the creation of the costumes for the world premiere of “Tosca e i Pupi Siciliani”.

More than 600 hours of design development, pattern cutting and sartorial construction, carried out within the Academy’s laboratories under the guidance of Maestro Andrea Viotti, Director of the Costume Department, transformed an educational journey into a concrete professional experience. From historical and iconographic research to material selection, from pattern development to final finishing touches, students followed every stage of the creative process, working according to the same methodology required by a high-level theatrical production.

The result made its debut at Acquario Romano – Casa dell’Architettura in Rome, where the world premiere of “Tosca e i Pupi Siciliani” took place, a project born from the collaboration between Teatro Vaccaro Mauceri of Syracuse and Accademia Costume & Moda.

When education meets Italian cultural heritage

The production represented an unprecedented event within the Italian opera landscape: for the first time, Giacomo Puccini’s masterpiece entered into dialogue with the Sicilian Opera dei Pupi, recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Born in Sicily at the beginning of the nineteenth century and passed down through generations of pupari master puppeteers, the Opera dei Pupi is far more than a form of popular theatre. It is a cultural heritage that preserves artisanal techniques, construction knowledge, storytelling traditions and performance practices that continue to represent one of the most distinctive symbols of Italian cultural identity worldwide.

Engaging with this heritage meant that students worked on a project in which costume was not simply an aesthetic element, but an essential part of the theatrical narrative.

Costume as a storytelling tool

Each garment was designed to accompany the expressive language of the Opera dei Pupi and interact with the dramatic intensity of Puccini’s Tosca.

The process required material research, experimentation, sartorial expertise and design thinking, with the aim of creating a balance between the tradition of puppet theatre and a contemporary creative approach.

For students, this represented a unique opportunity to engage with the demands of a professional production, experiencing real deadlines, quality standards and collaborative dynamics typical of the performing arts industry.

A professional experience during their studies

With Antonino Maletta as Artistic Director and Alfredo Mauceri as Director, the production involved more than sixty professionals, including opera singers, pupari, musicians, costume designers, tailors and specialist craftsmen, alongside the Orchestra Cilea and the historic Vaccaro-Mauceri Company.

For Accademia Costume & Moda students, working alongside industry professionals meant experiencing costume not as an academic exercise, but as part of a real production process, where every creative decision contributes to the construction of the stage and the storytelling.

It is precisely this continuous connection between education and professional practice that defines the Academy’s teaching model.

From laboratories to real productions: the Accademia Costume & Moda approach

The participation in “Tosca e i Pupi Siciliani” embodies the value of the educational experience offered by Accademia Costume & Moda.

Within the Costume Laboratories of the Roman Campus, students develop technical, creative and design skills by working on real projects alongside lecturers, professionals and masters of the field. Daily interaction with the worlds of theatre, cinema, fashion and entertainment allows students to develop a design methodology rooted in costume culture, Italian tailoring traditions and the ability to respond to the needs of contemporary productions.

Creating the costumes for a world premiere while still being a student represents an experience that goes beyond education: it means understanding the importance of teamwork, facing the complexity of a professional production and transforming knowledge into expertise.

Educating the professionals of tomorrow

For over sixty years, Accademia Costume & Moda has trained designers and costume professionals working across fashion, cinema, theatre and entertainment through an educational model that combines design culture, experimentation, craftsmanship and collaboration with leading institutions and companies.

Projects such as “Tosca e i Pupi Siciliani” embody this approach: students become active contributors to high-profile productions, working on real challenges and helping to preserve and reinterpret Italian cultural heritage.

For those wishing to build a career in Costume for Performing Arts, theatre, opera, cinema or fashion, Accademia Costume & Moda represents one of the most internationally recognised educational institutions, renowned for combining academic excellence, hands-on experience and continuous dialogue with the creative industries.