banner

Antonio Rocha

Antonio Rocha (pronounced haw-sha), originally from Brazil, began his career in the performing arts in 1985. In 1988 he received a Partners of the Americas grant to come to the USA to perform and deepen his mime skills with Mime Master Tony Montanaro. Since then he has earned a Summa Cum Laude Theater BA from USM (University of Southern Maine) and studied with Master Marcel Marceau. Mr. Rocha’s unique and award winning solo fusion of mime and storytelling with mesmerizing voices and sound effects has been performed from Singapore to South Africa and many places in between, including 20 countries on 6 continents as well as in 44 US states. Some of the venues include The Singapore Festival of the Arts, Wolf Trap, The National Storytelling Festival, The Kennedy Center, The Smithsonian Institution, The National Geographic, The Tales of Graz in Austria, Dunya Festival, The Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, Cave Run Storytelling Festival as well as thousands of school performances. Antonio Rocha also loves to teach his craft and often facilitates workshops, not only for performers, but for those who want to incorporate storytelling into their business presentations and classroom.
A two time TEDx speaker, Mr. Rocha is a proud recipient of the coveted Circle of Excellence Award by the National Storytelling Network, and most recently the 2024 Maine Arts Commission Fellowship for the Performing Arts. 

 

Photos for Downloading

Training
  • University of Southern Maine. Summa Cum Laude BA in Theatre, 1989- 1992.
  • Marcel Marceau, two week master mime workshop, Gambier Ohio, 1995.
  • Tony Montanaro, fifteen year training in mime and storytelling, 1988- 2003.
  • Ecole de Mime Corporel Dramatique de Paris, one week, Paris France, 1991.
  • 2024 Performing Arts Fellowship awarded by Maine Arts Commission
  • National Storytelling Network, Circle of Excellence Award, 2015.
  • Arts Visibility Grant. Maine Arts Commission, 2014.
  • Parents Choice Gold Award for Under African Skies DVD, 2008.
  • John A. Kittredge Educational Fund. Travel grant to Singapore Festival, 1996.
  • Four year scholarship. Univ. of Southern Maine, Theater BA. 1989-92.
  • Partners of the Americas travel grant from Brazil to Maine to study mime with Tony Montanaro, 1988.
Special Skills
  • Singing (tenor)
  • Languages: Portuguese some Spanish and French
  • Private pilot single engine
  • Tree climber
Career Highlights
  • Portland Ovations - A Slave Ship Called Malaga. 
  • Funda Fest - Rhode Island - 2023.
  • BhuFeSto- Storytelling Festival in Bhubaneswar - India, 2023.
  • Hewnoaks Arts Residency- 2022.
  • Disney Consulting and Coaching - Orlando -2002.
  • Disney Inspirational Storytelling Series. Orlando -2022.
  • Indigo Arts Alliance Residency and mentorship. 2021.
  • Sharjah Narrators Forum -UAE -2021.
  • The National Storytelling Festival -Jonesborough TN. (Multiple Times)
  • Bay Area Storytelling Festival – California
  • Midland Storytelling Festival, Midland TX. (Multiple Times)
  • Indiana Story Art Series, Indianapolis 2016.
  • Ojai Storytelling Festival - Ojai CA. (Multiple times)
  • Mesa Performing Arts Center, AZ 2016.
  • Rocky Mountain Storytelling Conference, Colorado 2016.
  • Texas Library Conference, Houston 2016
  • Sounds of the Mountain Storytelling Festival, Virginia 2016.
  • Southlands Storytelling Festival, New Zealand 2016
  • Starlight Academy storytelling Carnival, Taichung Taiwan.
  • Under the Aaladamaraa Tree Storytelling Fesitval, Bangalore, Chennai and Pune -India 2015.
  • Storytelling Internationales Festival - Austria.
  • Workshop facilitator at Sharing The Fire Storytelling Conference – Amherst MA.
  • Mariposa Storytelling Festival - Mariposa CA.
  • Performance at Center Theatre – Dover Foxcroft Maine – Feb 2015
  • Kathalaya Academy workshop and Performances – Bangalore, India.
  • Kansas City Storytelling Celebration
  • SOMOS storytelling Festival – Taos NM- Oct 2014
  • Beaver Storytelling Festival – Beaver PA- Oct 2014
  • Cave Run Storytelling Festival – Moore Head KY- (Multiple Times)
  • Timpanogos Storytelling Festival – Orem UT
  • Festival by the Sea – Castine Maine- Aug 2014
  • Western Maine Storytelling Org. Performance – July 2014
  • Jackson Storytelling Festival in Michigan.
  • SESC Literature week. Performances and a two day workshop in Cuiaba Brazil. April 2014.
  • Storytelling Festival of Carolina. Laurinburg, NC.
  • Miami International Book Fair.
  • International Festival of Arts and Ideas. New Haven CT. June 21st, 2013.
  • Wilson Museum in Castine ME. April 11th, 2013.
  • Super Saturday Children’s Festival, Tryon North Carolina. March 15th and 16th – 2013.
  • Lone Star Storytelling Festival in Frisco TX. Oct 19th and 20th, 2012.
  • Indian Summer Storytelling Festival in Vernal Utah. Sep 20th to 23rd, 2012.
  • Hawaii. Seventeen Libraries, four islands, ten days. 2012.
  • Ljungby Storytelling Festival – Ljungby Sweden. June 15th to the 18th, 2012. (Multiple Times)
  • Florida Storytelling Camp and conference.
  • Stonington Opera House, Maine. Aug 17th 2011.
  • School tour in North Carolina, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, April 2011.
  • Fisher Island Community Show, NY. March 25th, 2011.
  • Storytelling Festival in Rock Hill South Carolina.  March 17th -19th, 2011.
  • Tcha Tee Man Wi Storytelling Festival in Oregon. March 3rd to the 5th, 2011.
  • Tapestry of Tales – Portland Oregon- 2010
  • New Zealand Storytelling tour – 2010
  • NSN Storytelling Conference in LA 2010
  • Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts 2009
  • Miami Dade Storytelling Festival 2009
  • Washington DC Environmental Film Festival 07/08.
  • Hawaiian Library tour- Nov 07.
  • Irish school tour- May 08.
  • Patchwork Tales- Rock Hill SC- 07.
  • Riverway Storytelling Festival- Albany NY- 07.
  • The Fukugawa Edo Museum- Tokyo 06.
  • Singapore International Storytelling Festival 06/07.
  • San Juan Capistrano Festival – California – Oct 14th & 15th, 05.
  • Colonial Williamsburg Storytelling Festival – Williamsburg, VA – Sep 16th- 18th, 05.
  • Once upon a Thames, Storytelling festival – Ontario Canada- Sep. 05/08
  • Tales of Graz, Austria – Europe – June of 2005.
  • Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center – May 05.
  • Multicultural Storytelling Festival – Eugene Oregon – April 05.
  • Mariposa Storytelling Festival – California – March 05.
  • Flying Leap Storytelling Festival – Solvang- CA – Feb 05.
  • Mesa Storytelling Festival – Mesa Az – Oct 04.
  • Kansas City Storytelling Festival – April 04.