Extraordinary news for Toasts. Thursday 9 Mayin the context of Signals Festival to the Fontana Theatre Of Milanthe actress and director from Brindisi Sara Bevilacqua was awarded the prestigious Eolo Award as best leading actress of the two shows “Stoc Ddò – I’m here” And “Agnese’s room”. The Award, established in 2006 by Eolo webzine and dedicated to the memory of Manuela Fralleonehas become a key event for the children’s theater in Italy. «In both shows – it is written in the motivation – the pain of the two women portrayed is returned to us by the Apulian artist without any rhetoric, with very simple and natural adherence to the character, who appears alive on stage just as the people and events she recounts seem passionately alive to us».
«The shows go through real and strong stories – he said Sara Bevilacqua immediately after the awards ceremony – and the theater gives us the possibility of transforming them into a seed that we plant in the new generations. I dedicate this recognition to my mother and to women like her who have been able to transform even the most extreme situations into light and welcome. With passion and courage. There is never just one person behind an award. I would therefore like to thank those who inspired and supported these two wonderful experiences. So Lella and Pinuccio Fazio, the Borsellino family, our team with the playwright Osvaldo Capraro, the light designers Paolo Mongelli and Marco Oliani, Antonio Guadalupi, Davide Arsenio, the Factory Company, the Apulian residence center TRAC and the Kismet Theatre. A special thanks to Daniele Guarini who gave soul, meaning and strength to the Meridiani Perduti project, rooting it in Brindisi and managing to enhance it on stages throughout Italy».
The Eolo Awards they reward the excellence of children’s theater by valorising those works that stimulate reflection and social dialogue. The jury, made up of critics, observers, distributors and theater operators, is active in the analysis and selection of the most significant works produced throughout the year, exploring festivals and theater seasons in Italy. The evaluation criterion is based not only on the artistic quality and technical quality of the productions, but also on their ability to actively involve young audiences in delicate topics by promoting critical reflection and emotional and intellectual learning. In this way, the Eolo Award acts as a barometer of trends in children’s theatre, reflecting and at the same time guiding the evolution of the sector.
The productions of “Stoc Ddò – I’m here” And “Agnese’s room” offered food for critical reflection that was particularly appreciated by the jury. Sara Bevilacqua his luminous talent is therefore recognized in the universe of children’s theater thanks to his artistic versatility and extraordinary ability to embody the characters he plays, to which he gives a depth and complexity that goes beyond the stage to directly reach the heart of the spectator.
“Stoc Ddò – I’m here” is an intense monologue that originates from a true and painful news story, set in the heart of Old Bari. The drama of Lellamother of Michele Faziotragically killed in a context of war between mafia clans, becomes a vehicle for a narrative that intertwines personal pain and social denunciation. Sara Bevilacqua it evokes its essence, its pain, its strength. Every gesture, every expression, every vocal cadence is calibrated to reflect the inner reality of a woman marked by an unimaginable tragedy, but not broken. Her performance transforms the stage into a space of catharsis and social reflection, bringing viewers to confront the brutality of loss and the resilience of the fight for justice.
At the same time, in “Agnese’s room”, the actress from Brindisi shows another side of her interpretive talent. Here, her task is twofold: weaving the complexity of a narrative that unfolds through pain, memory and love, while maintaining the character’s dignity and integrity. Sara Bevilacqua manages to deftly navigate the emotional nuances of Agnes showing her internal struggle and offering an intimate insight into her personal challenges as she tries to come to terms with the loss of her husband Paolo Borsellino and with the consequences of the tragedy on his family and his identity.
The awards ceremony Sara Bevilacqua it not only recognizes interpretive excellence but also the ability to inhabit the stage with a depth that directly challenges the spectator, stimulating active and conscious participation. Furthermore, the award underlines the role of children’s theater as a form of aesthetic education and as a tool for social change. Through the dramatization of historical pages marked by pain, both shows demonstrate how theater can act as a catalyst for intergenerational dialogue and critical reflection by proposing a narrative which, although rooted in specific geographical and historical contexts, speaks to a universal humanity . Sara Bevilacqua has always navigated these troubled waters maintaining a balance between emotional fragility and narrative solidity, with a contribution to children’s theater which is now at the center of the Italian cultural stage.
