From the laboratories to the stage: Accademia Costume & Moda students create the costumes for “The Mountain Giants – Final Act”

How do you design costumes for a production that brings one of the greatest unfinished masterpieces of Italian theatre back to the stage? The answer, once again, lies within the laboratories of Accademia Costume & Moda‘s Rome campus, where third-year students from the BA in Costume & Fashion designed and created the costumes for “The Mountain Giants – Final Act”, under the guidance of Maestro Andrea Viotti, Head of the Costume Department.

Through research, design development, pattern cutting and garment construction, the students experienced every stage of the creative process, responding to the demands of a professional theatrical production and transforming their academic journey into hands-on industry experience.

The project required technical expertise, design sensitivity and continuous dialogue with the artistic vision of the performance, placing costume design at the heart of the stage narrative.

The production will premiere on 23 July at La Casina del Salvi in Rome as the final outcome of a masterclass led by theatre director Matteo Tarasco, and forms part of Morire di Poesia, a project created by Effimera Produzioni to mark the 90th anniversary of Luigi Pirandello‘s death.

Il risultato andrà in scena il 23 luglio a La Casina del Salvi di Roma, dove sarà presentato “I Giganti della Montagna – Ultimo Atto”, restituzione finale della masterclass diretta dal regista Matteo Tarasco e parte del progetto Morire di Poesia, ideato da Effimera Produzioni per celebrare i novant’anni dalla scomparsa di Luigi Pirandello.

When costume design brings Pirandello's theatre to life

The performance marks the culmination of a multidisciplinary project dedicated to the celebrated Sicilian playwright. Through talks, masterclasses and live performances, Morire di Poesia has invited artists, scholars and audiences to reflect on the contemporary relevance of The Mountain Giants, Pirandello’s final unfinished play.

At the heart of the production lies the enduring conflict between Art and society, imagination and materialism, a central theme throughout Pirandello’s work. Within this context, costume becomes far more than a visual element: it shapes character, supports the dramatic narrative and works in dialogue with the direction, becoming an integral part of the storytelling.

For Accademia Costume & Moda students, engaging with such an important theatrical work meant transforming historical, theatrical and design research into a tangible creative outcome, interpreting the complexity of the play through the language of costume.

Professional experience throughout the academic journey

Throughout the creative process, the BA in Costume & Fashion students worked alongside the artistic team, experiencing the working methods of a professional theatre production while engaging with the deadlines, expectations and collaborative dynamics of the performing arts industry.

For the students, this represented a valuable opportunity to understand how costume design emerges from the dialogue between research, direction, performance and craftsmanship, turning the work developed in the laboratories into a meaningful contribution to a live theatrical production.

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

Participation in Morire di Poesia once again reflects the educational philosophy of Accademia Costume & Moda, where academic learning, experimentation and professional practice are closely interconnected.

Through collaborations with theatre companies, directors, cultural institutions and industry professionals, students have the opportunity to work on real productions throughout their studies, developing technical, creative and design skills within authentic professional environments.

For those pursuing a career in Costume Design, experiences like this represent a fundamental step in their professional development: a journey from the laboratories to the stage, where design culture, Italian tailoring tradition and theatrical language come together to shape new visions for contemporary performance.