Mariana Dias

Mariana Dias has graduated in Communication and Cultural Sciences by the Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias (2006) and has a Master Degree in Performing Arts - Theatre – Acting by the Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema (2013), both concluded in Lisbon. She always had a parallel (regular) education and work in Performance Arts, essentially in dance and theatre.
As a dancer, she learnt different world dances, contemporary dance and performance but her passion focused in oriental dances (gypsy, bellydance, arab, indian) which she taught and performed mainly between 1998 and 2006. From then on, until today, she still gives and receives workshops and private classes on Oriental dance and uses her dancing skills for theatre work.
During her Masters in Theatre - Acting, with the final project called "Physical Comedy – The Playful Actor", Mariana Dias researches and develops her work in physical comedy, working in England with the Shifting Sands Theatre Company and between Portugal and England, with the theatre director John Mowat. She has lived for six months in Reggio Emilia, Italy, to specialize in Commedia dell´Arte by Antonio Fava, ArscomicA. During this intensive period in Italy, she has also worked on Commedia with the british The Fourth Monkey Theatre Company from London, and with artists and actors from all over the world. In 2013, Mariana Dias co-founded the comicINcontinenti, an international Commedia dell´Arte Theatre Company directed by Antonio Fava, based in Italy, with actors from Portugal, Italy and Australia.
During 2014, besides her regular English language and Arts Education classes as a teacher, she performed has an improv actress with the Pata na Poça Improv theatre group in Portugal, toured with the comicINcontinenti throughout Italy and Portugal with the show Come Quando Fuori Piove, developed the Commedia Dell´Arte show Gabrielliana for two (short form) with Andrew Crupi for a festival in Utrecht, Holland and performed as an improv actress and dancer for the Sintra Impro Big Band - Soundpainting group in Portugal. Mariana Dias offered workshops on physicality, improvisation, basics and solos in Commedia dell´Arte both in Portugal and Amsterdam, and was also teacher assistant of Antonio Fava´s Masterclass and Conference at the Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema in Lisbon.
By the end of 2014 , Mariana moved to Australia and, together with her partner Andrew Crupi , they formed the Mari & Crupi Theatre Company as a structural base for their work developed together. They have since, and until the beginning of 2017, performed many original shows and gave classes and workshops based on Commedia dell´Arte throughout South Australia.
They´ve recently moved back to Lisbon, Portugal (February 2017) and they continue to self produce their show A Commedia dell´Arte Show and give classes and workshops on Commedia dell´Arte in Portugal as well as participate and collaborate with other theatre companies.