(via Emily Owens PR)
New York City’s premiere festival of Italian theater is back–taking place in all five boroughs of NYC, May 5-19 at Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo’ at NYU (24 W 12th St, New York, NY 10011), The Rat NYC (68-117 Jay St, Brooklyn, NY 11201), BAAD (2474 Westchester Ave, Bronx, NY 10461), Culture Lab LIC (5-25 46th Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101), Calandra Institute (25 W 43rd St Suite 1700, New York, NY 10036), NOoSPHERE Arts (520 Kingsland Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222), WOW Cafe Theater (59-61 E 4th St #4, New York, NY 10003), Casa Belvedere (79 Howard Ave, Staten Island, NY 10301), The Atelier at Theaterlab (357 W 36th St. 4th floor, New York, NY 10018), The Tank NYC (312 W 36th St., New York, NY 10018) and the Italian Cultural Institute NY (686 Park Ave, NY, NY 10065).
Each year In Scena! showcases some of the best Italian theater from Italy, in New York City. The festival features productions that have already toured in Italy as well as readings of Italian plays in translation, lectures, and exchanges between Italian and International artists. The goal is to promote greater awareness of Italian theater and Italian artists among New York City theatergoers, and to build a bridge between the artistic scenes in Italy and the US.
MATER FAMILIAS
Written by Pier Lorenzo Pisano, Translated by Carlotta Brentan
Directed by Emma Denson
Mater Familias is the story of three generations through increasingly difficult times, as they sometimes help each other, and sometimes clash in order to survive. A powerful drama with exact dialogue and sharply drawn relationships, it begins with a mother and son’s desperate need to commit a crime. Sun May 4 at 3pm; Sun May 4 at 9:30pm; Thu May 8 at 7pm; Sun May 11 at 7pm; Thu May 15 at 9:30pm; Sun May 18 at 7pm @ The Tank
LAMPEDUSA BEACH
Written & Directed by Lina Prosa, Performed by Nadia Kibout and Daniele Onorati
Shauba, a young African woman, recounts her difficult experience: the dreams and hopes that led her to face a long and dangerous journey that were shattered off the coast of Lampedusa. Nadia Kibout presents a solo show on migration accompanied by the soundscapes of Maestro Daniele Onorati and his oodoo, very special ceramic musical instruments.
Mon May 5 at 7:15pm @ Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo’ at NYU; Tue May 6 at 6pm @ Calandra Institute Running Time: 50 min
ALFREDINO, ITALY IN A DEEP WELL
(ALFREDINO. L’ITALIA IN FONDO A UN POZZO)
Written & Performed by Fabio Banfo, Directed by Serena Piazza
Presented by Centro Teatrale MaMiMò
On the evening of June 10, 1981 six year old Alfredo (Alfredino) Rampi fell 36 meters deep into a well in Vermicino, a village near Rome. In the next 35 hours, Italy was glued to the TV watching the first non-stop live broadcast to cover the attempt to save him. It was a turning point in the history of Italian TV, which is still studied in journalism schools and where the modern sensationalist way of dealing with news was born. Best Direction Fersen Award 2021, Best Show and Best Dramaturgy Doit Festival Rome 2017. Tue May 6 at 6pm @ Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo’ at NYU; Thu May 8 at 7:30pm @ The Rat NYC Running Time: 60 min
IN THE NAME OF MARY (NEL NOME DI MARIA)
Written and Directed by Chiara Gambino, Original Music Domenico Gargano
Performed by Chiara Gambino and Alba Sofia Vella
The show is inspired by and rewrites a mafia story that occurred in Palermo on November 14 1982 and which led to the death of the young Sicilian policeman Calogero Zucchetto, who in that period was working with the Palermo Mobile Squad in the search for mafia affiliates. The point of view of the show is the one of his girlfriend Maria Lo Bello, tormented in the years following the loss by the question: “Could it have gone differently?”. For the entire duration of the show, the protagonist responds unaware to this question, with a true and ironic, fragile and disenchanted stream of consciousness, recounting the meeting and pursuing the love that led her to get engaged to Calogero (Lillo for his friends) Zucchetto. Mauro Rostagno Award 2021 for Best Script and Best Actress – DaSud special award for the fight against mafias, Last Summer Moon Festival 2021, Special Mention Città Laboratorio 2021, Franco Delivery Official Selection 2020, Official Selection Catania Fringe 2022.
Tue May 6 at 8pm @ Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo’ at NYU; Sun May 11 at 7pm @ Culture Lab LIC Running Time: 55 min
THE POPESS: INSTRUCTIONS FOR FREEDOM
Written & Performed by Elena Mazzon, Directed by Colin Watkeys
Italy 13th Century – the Guglielmites heretical sect causes havoc in Milan. Their leader, Guglielma of Bohemia, believed to be the second coming of the Holy Spirit, appoints Sister Maifreda, as her Popess. and together heralds a new female-led era, where only women could save humanity from eternal suffering. It did not take long for the inquisition to find out about the congregation and its beliefs. The Popess is a dark comedy solo-show, which unravels the mystery of a true early feminist movement in the Italian misogynistic religious history, investigating the discrepancies between religion, faith and power and, ultimately, the meaning of freedom. Official Selection 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Fri May 9 at 8pm @ Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo’ at NYU; Sat May 10 at 7pm @ Culture Lab LIC Performed in English Running Time: 55 min
MY MAMA NOTARIZES & ALSO MAKES RISOTTO
(MIA MAMMA FA IL NOTAIO, MA ANCHE IL RISOTTO)
Written & Performed by Filippo Capobianco
Produced by Teatro Pubblico Ligure
Presented in collaboration with Dominio Pubblico
“Mia mamma fa il notaio, ma anche il risotto” is the first show by the 2023 Poetry Slam world champion Filippo Capobianco. The performance combines the languages of Teatro Canzone (an expressive genre related to theatricality, speech and music, consisting of alternating songs and monologues or, more precisely, sung and acted parts) and performance poetry in a narrative that tells the coming-of-age story of a Generation Z boy in search of his own voice in a world that he will only gradually understand. Moscerino doesn’t know how to talk to his mother and there’s no way his mother, an important and always busy notary, would talk to him. The desire to communicate, in every way and by every means, accompanies him over the years, from story to story. Poetry is the last key to allow Moscerino and his mother to finally look each other in the eyes. Winner of the FringeMi Festival 2024.
