Fabiana Piccioli    Lighting Designer

contacts: Charlene Lim (agent)

Fabiana Piccioli


Winner of the 2018 Knight of Illumination Award for Opera (Eugene Onegin)

Winner of the 2017 Knight of Illumination Award for Dance (Echoes)

Winner of the 2013 Knight of Illumination Award for Dance (iTMOI)


Born in Rome in 1976, Fabiana trained as a dancer and graduated in Philosophy at Università La Sapienza (Rome). She continued her dance training in Brussels for a year and in 2001 she started working as production manager for the Romaeuropa Festival. In 2005 she moved to London to join Akram Khan Company as Technical Director and Lighting Designer.

In 2013 she became freelance lighting designer, collaborating with international artists all over the world. 

She is now based in Rome.


Productions as lighting designer:

Vake Poes, dir. Lisaboa Houbrecht, Opera of Flandres, Gent Feb 2023

Nine Songs, Feng Ling Productions, Dance City, Newcastle, Jan 2023

Handmaid’s Tale, dir. John Fulljames, Royal Danish Opera, Copenhagen, Oct 2022

Jumalattaret, Barbara Hannigan sings John Zorn, Spoleto Festival,Teatro Romano, July 2022

Aida, dir. Philipp Himmelmann, Savonlinna Festival, July 2022

Eye Candy, chor. Imre & Marne Van Opstal, Ballet Rambert, London May 2022

Yeled, chor. Eyal Dadon, Aterballetto, Reggio Emilia Teatro Valli, April 2022

Kites, chor. Damien Jalet, Goteborg Ballet, March 2022

Aurora’s Nap (Sleeping Beauty), chor. Johan Inger, Stuttgart Ballet, Feb 2022

Valley of Human Sound, chor. Gregory Maqoma, Ballet de Lyon, Dec 2021 

Rigoletto, dir. Oliver Mears, Royal Opera House, Sept 2021

Les Demons, dir. Guy Cassiers, Comédie Française, Paris, Sept 2021

Inferno, dir. P.Maccarinelli, Festival dei due mondi, Spoleto, July 2021

Antigone & Tiresias, dir. Guy Cassiers, Bobigny MC93, Paris, May 2021

April, dir. Guy Cassiers, Toneelhuis, Antwerp,Apr 2021

Ballets Contemporains, Chor. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Damien Jalet, Mehdi Kerkouche, Tess Vorleger, Opera Garnier, Paris Oct 2020

Don Giovanni, dir. John Fulljames, Greek National Opera, Athens Dec 2020

Don Juan, chor. Johan Inger, Aterballetto, Centre National de Chaillot, Paris, Oct 2020

Alice Adventures Underground, dir. Antony McDonald, ROH, London Feb 2020

Sleeping Beauty, chor. Jeroen Verbruggen, Leipzig Opera Ballet, Nov  2019

Ghost , chor. Kim Brandstrup, New York City Center, Fall for Dance Festival, October 2019

Indian Queen, dir. Guy Cassiers, Opera de Lille, Oct 2019

Invisible Cities, dir.Leo Warner & Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, MIF / 59Productions, July  2019

Sciamachy chor. Jeroen Verbruggen, Finnish National Ballet, Helsinki May 2019

Bagaar by Guy Cassiers, Toneelhuis Antwerp (premiere March 2019)

Petrushka, chor. Johan Inger, Les Ballets de Montecarlo, Opera Garnier Dec. 2018

Rite of Spring,dir. Yang Liping Company, Shanghai Festival, Oct. 2018

Satori chor. Raul Reinoso Acanda, Acosta Danza, Teatro Alicia Alonso, La Havana, Cuba 2018

Eugene Onegin dir. Oliver Mears, Scottish Opera, Royal Theatre Glasgow 2018

Portraits in Otherness prod. Akram Khan Company , Sadlers Wells London 2018

Eugene Onegin  dir. Frederic Wake-Walker Opera du Rhin, Strasbourg 2018

Schlafende Manner dir. Katie Mitchell, Shauspielehaus Hamburg 2018

Vergeef Ons dir. Guy Cassiers, Toneelhuis Bourla Antwerp 2018

Memento Mori chor. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Opera Garnier, Montecarlo 2017)

Ma Sacre chor. Jeroen Verbruggen, Les Ballets de Montecarlo, Opera Garnier Montecarlo 2017

Powder Her Face dir. Antony McDonald, Northern Ireland Opera / Irish National Opera 2017

Bahr Chor. Mavin Koo, National Ballet of Malta La Valletta 2017

IUANMI chor. Lali Ayguadè, Temporada Alta Festival Girona 2017

Le Nozze di Figaro dir. Frederic Wake Walker, Teatro La Scala, Milan 2016

Rigoletto, dir. Oliver Mears, Nevill Holt Opera 2016

Pictures from an exhibition chor. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Opera Antwerp 2016

Ma Mere l’Oye chor. Jeroen Verbruggen, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Opera Antwerp 2016

Ophelia’s room dir. Katie Mitchell, Schaubuhne Berlin 2016

Grensgeval dir. Guy Cassiers, Toneelhuis Bourla Antwerp 2016

M-Dao chor. Yabin Wang, English National Ballet, She Says, Sadlers Wells London 2016

Under Siege chor. Yang Liping, Sadlers Wells London 2016

Interrupted chor. Aditi Mangaldas, Mumbai 2016

Go Down Moses dir. Romeo Castellucci, Theatre de La Ville, Paris 2015

Transfigured Night chor. Kim Brandstrup, Ballet Rambert, Sadlers Wells 2015

The Pursuit of Now chor. Akram Khan for Buta Festival Sadlers Wells London 2015

Echoes & I imagine by Aakash Odedra Company, Curve Theatre, Leicester 2015

Bayadere - The Ninth Life chor. Shobana Jeyasingh, Royal Opera House 2015

Inked chor. Damien Jalet, Aakash Odedra Company, The Place London 2015

Marama dir. Nina Nawalowalo, Auckland Festival 2015

Timeless chor. Aditi Mangaldas, Queen Elizabeth Hall 2015 

Kokoro chor. Lali Ayguadè, Temporada Alta Festival Girona 2015

Kin by Sanjukta Sinha, Mumbai 2015 

Cantique chor. Abou Lagraa, Maison de la Danse, Lyon 2015

Rainy Days, lighting installation for Philarmonie Luxembourg 2014

From one side to the other (museum exhibition curated by Akram Khan, The Lowry Manchester 2014)

Romeo and Juliet, dir. Sophie Gilpin, Rose Theatre 2014

Dust chor. Akram Khan, English National Ballet, Barbican 2014

Pests dir. Lucy Morrison, Clean Break, Royal Court London 2014

We-Part chor. Paolo Mangiola, Balletto di Roma, Civitanova Festival 2014

Breathe chor. Errol White, Edinburg Festival 2014

 iTMOI chor. Akram Khan, MC2 Grenoble 2013

GNOSIS chor. Akram Khan, Sadlers Wells London 2010

SVAPNAGATA FESTIVAL curated by Akram Khan and Nitin Sawhney, Sadlers Wells London 2009



As lighting and set designer: 

Double Bill Aterballetto & Toscanini Philarmonic, Sept 2022

Isadora Now, for Viviana Durante Company, Barbican Theatre, Feb 2020

Aimai-je un reve? by Jeroen Verbruggen for Les Ballets de Montecarlo, Opera Garnier Dec. 2018

Mermaid chor. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui for Acosta Danza, Sadlers Wells, London 2017

Requiem chor. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Opera Ghent 2017

Qutb chor. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Sadlers Wells, London 2016

Fall chor. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Opera Ghent, 2015

Harbour Me chor. Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui for L.A. Dance Project, Theatre du Chatelet, Paris 2015

Bahok chor. Akram Khan, Sadlers Wells London, National Ballet of China Beijing 2008

Variations for Vibes Pianos and Strings, Akram Khan Company and London Sinfonietta Orchestra, London Barbican 2006



COMING UP

Medee, dir. Lisaboa Houbrecht, Paris Comedie Francaise May 2023

Scimmia, dir. Luca Marinelli, Spoleto, Auditorium della Stella July 2023

Tucidide, dir. Alessandro Baricco & Centocellos, Spoleto, Piazza Duomo July 2023

Don Giovanni, dir Guy Cassiers, Opera de Lille Oct 2023

Jephtha, dir. Oliver Mears, London Royal Opera House, Nov 2023

Oer en andere tijden, dir. Guy Cassiers, Amsterdam ITA, Dec 2023

La Gioconda, dir. Oliver Mears, Salzburg Osterfestspiele, Feb 2024