Elena Benazzi

Astra Lanz is an actress, teacher, and director. She graduated in Foreign Languages and Literatures from the University of Bologna, with a thesis in English children’s literature. She trained as a theatre and musical theatre actress in Bologna and Rome, as well as at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.

As an actress, she has worked with the Teatro Verde in Rome and the Fondazione AIDA in Verona. Alongside her artistic career, she works extensively as a teacher, leading theatre workshops for adults and children, as well as courses in reading and theatre in English. Since 2005, she has been involved in reading promotion projects in bookshops and libraries.

She taught for ten years at the theatre school in Mantua. She also collaborates as a teacher with the association Radiodrammadacasa in Rome, where she develops training paths focused on reading aloud. In 2014, she formed a duo with guitarist Richard Elliott called The Fairy Tale Singers – Gli Incantafiabe, performing original songs in English and Italian. Their acoustic folk/pop repertoire is inspired by European fairy tales.

Since 2015, she has created and performed storytelling theatre productions for young audiences, including Jack e la Tabacchiera Magica, Julenisse e la luna viaggiante, L’avventuroso dicembre di S. Lucia, La Storia delle Storie, La Fiaberia (a storytelling musical performance), the eco-fairy tale Madre Natura e l’Uomo verde, and I figli del Capitano Verne, aimed at both adult audiences and young people aged 12 and up.

In 2022 she published her illustrated collection of rhymes Le Festastorie (Le Mezzelane Editore), followed in 2024 by the Christmas fairy tale book Magici Racconti di Natale (Lifebooks), and in 2025 Cuor di Fiaba racconta… (Lifebooks). Since 2023 she has been a member of the European Fairy Tale Route, under the patronage of the Council of Europe.