Eugenio Barba (born 1936) is a leading figure of contemporary theatre. He is a director, theoretician, school creator and founder of the legendary Odin Theatre (1 October 1964). His performances and his books have influenced entire generations of directors, actors and theatre experts. He is also the founder of the International School of Theatre Anthropology.
The first production by Odin Theatre was Ornitofilene, based on a text by Norwegian author Jens Bjørneboe; it was played in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark. Eugenio Barba was then invited by the Municipality of Holstebro, a small town in the North-West of Denmark, to set up a theatre laboratory. To start with, they offered him an old farm and a small amount of money. Therefore, the director decided to move Odin Theatre to Holstebro.
In 1979, Eugenio Barba founded ISTA – the International School of Theatre Anthropology. He created over 70 productions, some of which required up to two years of rehearsals. Some of his best-known productions are: Ferai, Min Fars Hus, Brecht's Ashes, The Gospel According to Oxyrhincus, Talabot, Kaosmos, Mythos, Andersen's Dream, Ur-Hamlet, and Don Giovanni all'inferno.
He also published numerous books, including: The Paper Canoe: A Guide to Theatre Anthropology, Theatre: Solitude, Craft, Revolt, and Land of Ashes and Diamonds. He was granted the title Doctor Honoris Causa by several well-known Universities (Århus, Ayacucho, Bologna, Havana, Warsaw, Plymouth, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, Tallinn, Cluj-Napoca) and has received numerous prizes and awards.
Constantin Chiriac:
''A unique European theatre personality, Eugenio Barba, receives the first star on the Sibiu Walk of Fame for his unique creation, for making research into an art, for setting up the International School of Theatre Anthropology and Odin Theatre.''
Star offered with the support of: UniCredit Bank
