ABOUT ME

If you’re here, it’s because you’d like to know a little more about me, and I’m truly happy to share my story with you. On my site, you’ll find details of my most significant experiences, courses, and projects, as well as my vision and a lovely photo gallery to browse through. My artistic and yogic journeys are inextricably linked to my everyday life; they inspire one another, and together they form the perfect symphony for my creations and actions.

Enjoy exploring!

Jessica Ugatti
Sri Lankan–Italian Performance & Living Artist | Relational Practices

ACTRESS

Theatre, TV, and Cinema

My first experiences on stage began at the age of four, and ever since then, theatre and acting have been my constant companions. They make me feel alive, free, and fearless.

 

I graduated from the Silvio d’Amico National Academy of Dramatic Art in Rome. Following my academic studies—and alongside my work in stage theatre—I made my debut on both the small and big screens. My credits include the role of Mafalda in *Raccontami 2* (Rai 1), directed by Riccardo Donna and Tiziana Aristarco, as well as appearances in *L’amore non basta* and *Due mamme di troppo* (Canale 5) alongside Antonello Grimaldi.
I work as an actress and continue to hone my craft through training with renowned Italian and international actors and directors, including Luca Ronconi, Armando Pugliese, Massimo Ghini, Lunetta Savino, Sabrina Impacciatore, Charlotte Munkso, Christian Burgess, Wendy Alnutt, Michele Placido, Loredana Scaramella, Gigi Proietti, Rosa Masciopinto, Daniela Giordano, Alessandro Fabrizi, Carlo Boso, and many others.
Awards: Nuove Sensibilità Prize (2007), Teatro Officina Prize (2014).

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Artistic CV and skills >>

Video & showreel

Photo Gallery

VIBRISSA

My inseparable alter ego, who travels across Italy, captivating audiences with her infectious charisma.

 

Live performance and improvisation have always played a fundamental role in my artistic evolution and my understanding of various forms of expression.

Building on this foundation—and through in-depth study of character development, comedy, and clowning—I honed my most beloved persona: Vibrissa. She is a dynamic, high-energy emcee with a vintage soul and an unmistakable style, as well as a singer and musical saw player. I became the first female emcee to break into the Italian vintage cabaret and burlesque scene. I have hosted major national events and performed on prestigious stages alongside internationally renowned artists in cities ranging from Milan and Rome to Treviso, Erchie, Turin, and Reggio Emilia, as well as in Brisbane (Australia), Stockholm, and Lyon.

I also dedicate myself to performance art, creating emotive pieces that explore existence and performances designed to foster collective transformation.

"Vibrissa has a marvelous and modern interpretation of forgotten classic songs. Bringing back the glamour of Italy's golden age, she embodies the Italian *vedette* with a powerful voice and excellent comic timing."

Dirty Martini

 

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MY YOGA

Yoga makes me experience the search to rediscover life every day, with incessant passion.
The theater reminds me every day that even when you grow up it is possible to continue playing and living experiences with curiosity and wonder.

With my partner Francesco Zinnamosca I was lucky enough to embark on a wonderful journey to discover spirituality and yoga. I meet meditation and its extraordinary benefits. I become an Odaka Yoga RYT760+ instructor and part of the teacher training team, I travel in Mexico, Sri Lanka and South Korea

Thanks to a deeper understanding of the knowledge acquired, I create Yoga Theatre®  the first system that merges yoga philosophy and practice with theatrical techniques and actor training. "The world as a great stage sees us as actors in the greatest show, life", learning to consciously create it is a skill that we can all develop.

Being able to dedicate my life to researching and sharing tools that can promote freedom of expression for a happier existence is an immense joy for me.

If you want to follow my lessons you can choose between my female paths, my online courses and Yoga Theatre® trainings. 

Find out more about my upcoming courses

 

PROJECTS

Artistic Direction and Productions

I have always believed that dreams can come true; I simply never doubted it.

In my artistic research, relational practices define an operative methodology where the artwork is neither an inert object nor a staged spectacle, but the live, intersubjective encounter generated between human beings. I position human interaction, dialogue, and shared social space as my primary expressive medium.

I do not treat the audience as passive spectators; I invite them to become active co-creators of the experience. The work manifests within the ephemeral space between bodies, activated through reciprocal gaze, silence, and authentic vulnerability. By temporarily dissolving individual isolation, I cultivate micro-communities grounded in deep listening, transforming presence into an embodied inquiry into empathy, trust, and human connection.

I have conceived and produced large-scale live events at Palazzo Camozzini (Verona) and the Winter Garden at Crowne Plaza (Verona). I present my works across cultural and site-specific contexts, collaborating actively with Habitat 83 Contemporary Art Gallery. I have exhibited and performed internationally, including in Seoul, South Korea, and at the Byblos Art Hotel contemporary art museum.

Founder and artistic director of the Vibrissa Academy of Performing Arts, I have also served as artistic director for variety and vintage cabaret programming at Rock Town (Pordenone) and Burlesque & Cabaret Verona. Additionally, I co-directed Velvet Cabaret at Micca Club (Rome) and Ribalta at Maison Milano, and I am a co-founder of the Fools theatre company (Turin).

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Vibrissa Show

Yoga Theatre rituals

Produzioni

Vibrissa Academy of Performing Arts