Lada Bonacci is a Croatian actress born in Split in 1982 and based in Zagreb. She graduated from the Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb in 2005 and, in 2009, completed a master’s degree in physical and collaborative theatre at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. She subsequently worked for two years at the Zagreb Academy of Dramatic Art as an assistant in the Speech Department of the Acting Programme. Since 2012, she has held the status of an independent artist.
Her artistic practice focuses strongly on independent forms of performance, particularly stand-up, clowning, physical theatre and contemporary dance. She explores the relationship between vulnerability and comedy and is interested in creating a direct connection between performer and audience. Dance audiences may know her from „Krupni kadrovi“, a performance by Silvija Marchig produced by Divert. She has described her collaborations with Marchig and Marina Petković Liker as particularly important experiences in her development as a performer.
On 6 July 2021, Bonacci premiered her own project „Zadnja prije nego odem“ at the Zagreb Dance Centre. Created during the pandemic, the performance developed with the support of Silvia Marchig. Bonacci constructed the piece from very simple elements, combining texts by Croatian writer Ivan Tokin, country music and ordinary household objects. She deliberately avoided decorative elements and any attempt to make the material conventionally appealing or easy to rationalise, instead seeking to create space in which audiences could recognise something of their own experience.
„Zadnja prije nego odem“ addresses anxiety, struggle and giving up, vulnerability, meaninglessness and acceptance, while ultimately refusing to leave the audience without hope. Humour and comedy are central to the work. Bonacci also draws on principles of clowning, particularly presence, vulnerability and the possibility of bringing difficult experiences to the surface and transforming them through laughter.
Her artistic interests are centred on projects that allow her to continue developing as a performer. Although much of her work has taken place on Croatia’s independent and marginal scene, she has emphasised that this is not necessarily a deliberate choice, but rather a consequence of the subjects and forms that interest her. Alongside performing, she has worked with music copyrights, archival recordings and translation. Following „Zadnja prije nego odem“, she began working with fellow artist Ivan Đuričić on a television series screenplay. Their project successfully passed the Croatian Audiovisual Centre’s screenplay development competition, marking a new direction in her creative work.
