Romina Tappi - May 2023 Artist of the Month
'forza della natura'
For decades Romina Tappi has lived in two or perhaps more worlds. At breathtaking speed, with astonishing results.
Romina - actor, acting teacher, content creator, director, music composer, musician, playwright, singer, songwriter, stage and theatre director - lives in Griffith, teaching at Marian Catholic College and working with community on the stage production of ‘The Wedding Singer.’
“The funny thing is that for anyone who got married in Griffith during the 1990’s, there’s a good chance I was their wedding singer,” she laughs. “I have always been theatrical and musical, and growing up I had marvellous teachers who allowed me to explore ideas and continue learning and creating. In my practice of working with teachers all over the world to use theatre, music, and the arts in their own teaching I still quote those early teachers of mine…that’s how much influence they had over me.”
Romina studied Creative Arts at the University of Wollongong, a degree which doubled her determination and commitment to make a life in theatre, acting and musical production. At the same time there was a very lively theatre scene in Griffith in which Romina stayed active. So much so that, on one occasion, (and perhaps the starting gun on her double life) she recalls finishing her graduation piece as Puck in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, then being tucked into the back of the family wagon to sleep through the night while her mother and father whizzed her home over the mountains to Griffith in order for her to take her place on stage the following day for the local production of ‘Nicodemus’. The whirlwind had begun.
Not one to wait for agents or any others to make things happen, Romina threw herself into the theatrical world of the Riverina. By the mid 1990s the Griffith Regional Theatre had been substantially renovated and the Riverina Theatre Company, based out of Wagga Wagga, was taking artistic risks and trialling new ideas. There was opportunity, flexibility, and an appetite for adventure. Romina kept busy performing, directing, composing, singing in two bands, trying her hand in radio and TV presenting.
Travelling overseas in 2000 (with the intention of learning Spanish) Romina instead took a three-month contract in San Remo, on the Italian French border, to teach English through theatre and music. She stayed. Operating successfully for over 15 years Teatrino is Educo’s theatre-in-education program. It is now the largest and most diverse of its kind in Italy - much of its growth and success is due to the energy and talent of Romina.
“We started with a bag of props and a handful of actors, and it has now grown to one of Italy’s largest theatre and education companies; publishing books and music scores, touring huge ensembles, and training some 750 international tutors annually to carry the work further.” With continuing work with Teatrino and a concurrent and overwhelming sense of belonging and ‘home’ in Griffith, Romina’s double hemisphere life had commenced.
Romina’s role with Teatrino continued to grow alongside a desire to work with friends and colleagues in Griffith. The Covid-19 lock down throughout Europe, and Australia’s closed borders, had slowed international travel and curtailed Romina’s hopes of working back-to-back summers in Australia and Europe. When borders re-opened a new opportunity to work with longtime friends and colleagues bubbled up; Griffith and Regional Association of the Performing Arts (GRAPA) was seeking to tour Bernie Maxwell’s two hander ‘Hopes and Dreams’ to Adelaide Festival.
Romina Tappie (R) with longtime friend Marg Couch. The Covid-19 Pandemic brought Romina back to Griffith after years working in theatre in Italy.
“Italy was coming out of the pandemic very slowly; its economy had taken a huge hit and there seemed little appetite for theatre; everyone was exhausted. At the same time, I could see that things were starting to happen again in Australia” said Romina. “I knew and loved the team from GRAPA and had worked with most of them at some point through the ‘90s. I knew I wanted to play the role. I literally jumped on board, so excited to go from director, writer, producer and get back on stage as an actor, and to play that role opposite Bernie.”
The play toured to Adelaide Fringe for a successful run, garnering a a four-and-a-half-star review in the Adelaide Advertiser; ‘The show excels through the consummate writing of Bernie Maxwell, and his powerful performance as the hapless, put-upon husband Douglas, alongside the terrifyingly good Romina Tappi as his frustrated wife, permanently paralytic through ennui and alcohol. If you love your theatre tight, terrific, and challenging, live out your hopes and dreams at the Bakehouse.’
“Touring the show to Adelaide was a fantastic learning curve, playing in a very intimate space with an audience of around 50, and then the opportunity to take it to Edinburgh Festival was incredible. We had to cut the play further for the time slot and literally had to build the set in our accommodation the week before the play as we could not ship anything!” said Romina.
From Edinburgh it was on to Italy for Romina to sort out that half of her life before returning home, literally racing from the airport to the first reading of ‘The Wedding Singer’ for which she is assistant director - opening at Griffith Regional Theatre in September 2023.
“I am very excited to be once again involved in community theatre with old friends and new faces. Although it’s almost entirely volunteers the level of professionalism and commitment to the show is extraordinary, and everyone is giving 110%."
Romina Tappi (R) conducts a Q&A session at Griffith Regional Theatre with the cast of ‘Wild Thing’ in 2023.
With a personal motto of ‘fire to inspire’ Romina’s dream is to continue working backwards and forwards across the globe, touring Australian ideas, innovations and teams overseas and returning with new works and different ideas to trial both at a professional and community level, connecting (at speed, and in two languages!) the Western Riverina to the world.
Story by Gemma Purcell, Friday 26 May 2023.
Images: 1) Romina Tappi courtesy Romina Tappi. 2) Marg Couch & Romina Tappie 2021 by Camille Whitehead courtesy Western Riverina Arts. 3) Romina Tappi & cast of ‘Wild Thing’ 2023 by Aanya Whitehead courtesy Western Riverina Arts.
