Dr Corinna Di Niro (she/her)

Corinna Di Niro is a creative academic researcher-director-performer with strong industry and cultural connections who is often interviewed about her innovative work. She has examined a number of creative writing and theatre based PhDs and Honours theses and led creative research projects that provide students with industry experience. 

Corinna runs her theatre company, Stage Secrets, and is a returning guest lecturer at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA), where she teaches Commedia dell'Arte to the BA Fine Arts cohort. Corinna appears regularly on Italian community radio sharing her knowledge of italian theatre and culture in Australia. In 2021 she has been invited to present her theatre and creative writing research at a number of events including ARIA@SAHMRI, which showcased Adelaide's top Italo-Australian researchers.

Corinna was co-editor for the book Commedia dell’Arte for the 21st Century: practice and performance in the Asia-Pacific. This two-year project involved collaborating with scholars, practitioners and drama teachers across seven countries and is the first book that specifically deals with Commedia's hybridisation and effectiveness in the Asia-Pacific.

Corinna is currently lead researcher and director of Bone Cage, a theatre show about domestic violence and the issues women face when trapped in an abusive relationship. The mulitdisciplinary team spanning theatre, film, sound, gaming and virtual production have integrated immersive technology to enhance the audience experience to promote change. The show will be performed at the Hartely Playhouse, UniSA Magill campus, as part of the Adelaide Fringe Festival 2022. 

In 2019 Corinna became a TEDx speaker for her innovative VR in Theatre creative research project, 'The Virtual Actor', which she received funding for and led as part of a UniSA Creative research project involving students and industry mentors.

Corinna is passionate about the performing arts, student engagement and collaboration, as evidenced by her growing list of publications. 

2021–current: Association of Research between Italy and Australasia (ARIA) - Board Member

2019–current: Associate Member | Creative People Products and Places (CP3), UniSA 

2018–current: Speaker/Member | Women in AR/VR, NSW 

2018–current: Speaker/Co-facilitator | Adelaide Virtual Reality, SA 

2018–current: Member | Australasian Association of Writing Programs 

2018–current: Member | Australasian Association for Theatre, Drama and Performance Studies 

2016–current: Member | National Association of Enabling Educators of Australia 

2005–current: Member | SAT Cultural Association, Italy

Qualifications

• Doctor of Philosophy University of South Australia

• Bachelor of Arts (Honours) University of South Australia

• Bachelor of Media Arts University of South Australia

Work history

Prior to joining UniSA, Corinna worked as an international actor, theatre maker and teacher. She trained in theatre in Italy in 2004 and has worked for companies including Banksia Productions, Disney, Sudden Impact and Cirque du Soleil. Corinna has taught Commedia and Comic Acting (and its variants) in London, Paris, Stockholm, New York, Padua, Lima, Auckland and across Australia. Corinna became a TEDx speaker in 2019 for her innovative research in using virtual reality to transform an audience member into an actor in a live stage show.

A highlight in her career was when she appeared performed the SA iconic role, Humphrey B Bear, for Banksia Productions during 2007-2015. In that time, Corinna worked with high profile performers including Samantha Jade, The Collective, The Jersey Boys, Jon Stevens, Patsy Bisco (to name a few), numerous media companies and film/theatre crew. She performed in large events to crowds of over 30000 people and "appeared" in numerous magazines. Corinna was also responsible for writing, staging and directing various HBB shows as well as training new actors. Her time as Humphrey B Bear will always hold a special place in her heart. 

See: 

HBB intro clip

Happy 50th Birthday HBB

Goodnight HBB

HBB & SA Police

PRC Ambassador

HBB TV commercial

HBB Chirstmas pageant