Fascinated by the intersection of tragedy and absurdity in theatre, Rosa is inspired by her idol, Franca Rame, to make theatre that provokes thought while making you laugh… and laugh while making you think… aiming to evoke both the sublime and the ridiculous!

Rosa holds an MFA (Directing) from the National Institute of Dramatic Art, a Bachelor of Arts/Teaching from Deakin University, and is a Fellow of the International Specialised Skills Institute. As the founding Artistic Director of Make A Scene, she has shared her distinctive theatre style, performance techniques, and actor training with educators and performers through organisations including Drama Australia, La Mama Theatre, Deakin University, Melbourne Theatre Company, the Victorian Association for Teachers of Italian (VATI), Fairfax Youth Initiative, Regional Arts Victoria’s Creative Workers in Schools and the National Institute of Dramatic Art

Her creative practice is deeply influenced by her Commedia dell’Arte training at Venezia InScena (Venice, Italy), Jacques Lecoq’s physical theatre techniques (with Norman Taylor and Giovanni Fusetti). Rosa has also studied Voice and Shakespeare with Patsy Rodenburg (NYC), physical theatre with Frantic Assembly (LA Create), and Writing for Television with Jane Allen (AFTRS).

Rosa has written and directed numerous original works for Make A Scene, including a translation and adaptation of Goldoni’s The Servant of Two Masters and a reimagining of Collodi’s Pinocchio—both published by Currency Press and performed at La Mama Theatre as part of the prestigious VCAA VCE Playlist. Her inventive teachers’ resources have earned her Drama Victoria Awards for Excellence in Online/Digital Delivery of Drama (2016, 2020).

Beyond Make A Scene, Rosa was production assistant on the original Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q (NYC), directed a Molière (in French!) for Melbourne French Theatre, collaborated with Margherita Peluso on the grotesque bouffon satire Il Diavolo Veste Pashmina e Tu? (The Devil Wears Pashmina and You?) in Milan, and performed in Le Beatrici at La Mama (dir Laurence Strangio).

Most recently, Rosa adapted and directed Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, cheekily retitled The Attempted Rape of Susanna with Aria Award winning composer, Sally Whitwell. As a first-time filmmaker, she directed the music video Are We There Yet? for indie musician Romanie and triple j Unearthed. In 2025, she puts her video production skills to the test again as Make A Scene enters a bold new chapter of digital offerings!

I can say unequivocally that Rosa’s art, methodology, and passion are quite extraordinary. – Dr William R.Naugle, University of Oregon, USA