Bari's profile
Bari Hochwald-Cagnola is a theatre director, performer, and curator of theatrical community-engaged events. She is Founder and Artistic Director of The Global Theatre Company originally established in Florence, Italy and Los Angeles, CA in 2011. Her work is inspired by her eclectic training - as a performer first studying an Actors Studio-based foundation at Syracuse University under Arthur Storch and then as a part of the first graduating class of the American Repertory Theatre Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University, formed under Robert Brustein where her artistic perspective on performance evolved. This combination of deeply human exploration and highly theatrical expression has been the basis of her approach to performance, direction and audience experience. Bari's career began as an actress in regional theatres throughout the United States and in film and television where she worked on major network productions including C.S.I., Star Trek, N.Y.P.D. Blue, Desperate Housewives and Torchwood. In Los Angeles she received multiple awards and accolades for her work on stage.
In 2005 Bari moved to Florence, Italy where she founded Florence International Theatre Company which had five seasons of main stage work, community events and educational programming with support and patronage from the office of the Mayor, the US Consulate and local and international educational institutions. What was learned during these years transformed into The Global Theatre Project infused with the observations and experiences made living abroad as well as her trajectory as a theatre maker throughout the years. In more recent years, the melding of theatre practice with societal activism and community development has been the single focus of her work and concern. Her partnership with Mack McCarter of Community Renewal International has expanded her perspective on artist and non-artist collaborative programming with the definition of more specific methodology and systematic approaches.
“The values found in the theatrical process can contribute as a balm and a pathway to societal healing and empathetic interconnectivity. As I deepen my practice I am particularly interested in the relationship between the theatre event, the audience and the issues being presented. My practice of Shambhala Buddhist meditation as well as my curiosity of anthroplogy, sociology, pyschology and the history of societal development inspire me to create layered theatrical events which push all participants toward a higher individual and collective experience. How can I, as a theatre artist, serve the greater good while raising continually the quality and inquiry of my artistic expression and that of those I engage with?"
In 2021:
2021 will put a strong focus on furthering the work of Creative Corps, her initiative under The Global Theatre Project. This year she will continue to train artists under the methodolgy of the Four Pillars developing projects and programming with them responsive to the concerns of the artists and their local communities.
For more information on The Global Theatre Project: https://theglobaltheatreproject.org
In 2005 Bari moved to Florence, Italy where she founded Florence International Theatre Company which had five seasons of main stage work, community events and educational programming with support and patronage from the office of the Mayor, the US Consulate and local and international educational institutions. What was learned during these years transformed into The Global Theatre Project infused with the observations and experiences made living abroad as well as her trajectory as a theatre maker throughout the years. In more recent years, the melding of theatre practice with societal activism and community development has been the single focus of her work and concern. Her partnership with Mack McCarter of Community Renewal International has expanded her perspective on artist and non-artist collaborative programming with the definition of more specific methodology and systematic approaches.
“The values found in the theatrical process can contribute as a balm and a pathway to societal healing and empathetic interconnectivity. As I deepen my practice I am particularly interested in the relationship between the theatre event, the audience and the issues being presented. My practice of Shambhala Buddhist meditation as well as my curiosity of anthroplogy, sociology, pyschology and the history of societal development inspire me to create layered theatrical events which push all participants toward a higher individual and collective experience. How can I, as a theatre artist, serve the greater good while raising continually the quality and inquiry of my artistic expression and that of those I engage with?"
In 2021:
2021 will put a strong focus on furthering the work of Creative Corps, her initiative under The Global Theatre Project. This year she will continue to train artists under the methodolgy of the Four Pillars developing projects and programming with them responsive to the concerns of the artists and their local communities.
For more information on The Global Theatre Project: https://theglobaltheatreproject.org
