A Theatre Portfolio
Spazio Ludialydiis. Milan, Italy
This extended monologue was a stimulating collaboration with Cecilia Vecchio, an actress from Teatro della Tosse (Genova), on a dramaturgy juxtaposing several female characters from Eduardo De Filippo’s oeuvre. I collaborated on this project to weave the different scenes into a coherent performance, which became Un caffè sospeso, a reference to the Neapolitan tradition of leaving a cup of coffee paid for, for the next customer who might need a free one.
Teatro del Battito and Teatro della Memoria, Milan, Italy.
Piccolo Teatro Caligola, Aversa, Naples, Italy.
For a while I collaborated with an energetic company of young actors, I Mercenari in Milan, Italy. This show took its title from the fact that many scenes from different plays were tied together in the context of an asylum, which gave us a lot of freedom in experimenting. The show had quite a few versions adapted for different types of venues, from regular theatres to outdoor settings and dinner theatres.
Even with all the Bard’s words, the most impressive scene remained the final silent one, where all the performers gradually wrapped themselves up as a group in a long yellow sheet. Here is where I came to fully realize the power and intensity of pure images.
Franco Parenti Theatre, Milan, Italy.
My MFA diploma production with the actors of the School of Dramatic Art “Paolo Grassi.” The whole show was offered a small, somewhat claustrophobioc space at the Teatro Franco Parenti, which made movements difficult for the large cast. However, the location worked well with the theme of the play and afforded an incredible intimacy with the audience, which packed the seats for the production’s run.
Dramaturgically, I variously trimmed the play to emphasize Malcolm’s story and the theme of free will, in addition to translating the original.
Critic Ruggero Rastelli described the show as “a gem not to be missed” and my directing as “solemn and ironic at the same time, with that extra kick that takes you in” (Il Giornale, March 23-29 , 1998)
The video of the performance was later shown at Centro Festival del Teatro d’Europa, Palazzo Reale, Milan.
Alfredo Chiesa Theatre, Milan, Italy
A contemporary script satirizing the dangerous overlapping in the Italian system of media and politics, both under the influence of prime minister Berlusconi, here called “The Man Who Smiles.” The cool part was that since each of the components of the company “Movimenti Maldestri” was working in the same fashion magazine (Vogue Italia), we received both costumes by Moschino and coverage on the national magazine Panorama.
School of Dramatic Art “Paolo Grassi” – Sala Colonne, Milan, Italy
In this dramaturgy of two of Shakespeare’s Roman plays, scenes from Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra explored Antony’s character in its entirety. Three male actors played all the roles including Cleopatra and the Roman mob, and this brought about many inventive solutions in a mixture of tragedy and comic moments.
