The eighth edition of the Bonsai Theater Festival organized by Ferrara Off was presented in the municipal residence on Monday 6 May, which from Wednesday 8 May until Tuesday 25 June will offer first studies, previews and works in progress by performers and companies from Italy and from abroad.
The regional Councilor for Budget, the municipal Councilor for Culture, the artistic director of Ferrara Off Giulio Costa and the organizational director Marco Sgarbi spoke at the meeting with journalists.
From 8 May to 25 June the Ferrara Off Bonsai Festival returns to bring emerging theater to unconventional places, in the name of continuous experimentation.
«Number 8 of the 2024 edition of Bonsai – explains the artistic director of Ferrara Off Giulio Costa – makes us think of the symbol of infinity: the constant forward tension and the cyclical nature of movement. These inspirations guide the programming of the Festival, where artists and companies that take us into the future alternate with established experiences that return to deepen their research and connection with the territory. Whether we go forward or in depth, the support for innovative projects and the assumption of the cultural challenge by Ferrara Off remains constant. Bonsai wants to take itself and the public towards the unknown, into the unexplored territories of first studies, previews and work in progress. It offers new proposals, supporting the growth of performers who work with courage and of spectators who love discovery.”
Most of the scheduled entities were selected through the third Offline Call, which collected almost 300 proposals and which will give the opportunity to new excellences in the performing arts from Italy and abroad to spend a period of artistic residency in Ferrara Off, to develop the shows that will then be offered to the Bonsai public for the first time.
«For the choice of the names that we put on the calendar – explains Costa – I was supported by a team of artistic collaborators, as well as by students of the Ariosto High School, who participated in Visioni Off, a path to approaching the theater for the school as part of the paths for transversal skills and orientation. We submitted various proposals to young people under 18 who expressed their point of view, influencing the final decisions: with the aim of bringing them closer to the theatrical language, making them an active part of the city’s cultural choices and creating a program that also looks at them” .
Not only the secondary school, but also the University of Ferrara was involved in the Bonsai program with the Offline Residencies, meetings dedicated to the students of the course “Design activities for theatrical performances” of the Department of Humanistic Studies, held by professor Domenico Giuseppe Lipani, director of the University Theater Center. They are given the opportunity to meet artists and companies during their artistic residencies in Ferrara Off, attend rehearsals, and present meetings with the public after the show. A way to actually put into practice what they are studying.
The first artist to perform will be Pouria Jashn Tirgan, strongly supported by the Ariosto students, who will bring the preview of “In chaos born” at the high school on May 8th at 8.30 pm, a monologue that combines spoken word and narrative theatre, with his biography is at the center, balanced between Iran and Italy, his parents’ countries of origin.
«The choice to open the Festival with a date outside the theater – says Marco Sgarbi, organizational director of Ferrara Off – aims to immediately characterize this edition as reaching out towards other places, audiences and languages. There will be Out Bonsai shows, i.e. outside Ferrara Off,
designed in network with other entities in the city to create cultural synergies and bring the Festival into unconventional contexts, such as Palazzo Naselli Crispi, the Torrione del Barco, the P. Leonardi Museum of Paleontology and Prehistory and the Borgoricco car park. And there will be Extra Bonsai events, in suggestive extra-urban spaces, which lead to the discovery of the territory outside the Walls, such as Villa Imoletta and the water pumping plants of Sant’Antonino and Codigoro”.
«Another novelty this year – adds Ruggero Rimessi of the organizing secretariat – is the responsible ticket. We want to guarantee all people access to our activities, leaving them to choose the most sustainable entry fee, between various price ranges. The theater needs the support of the public, but above all its presence: for this reason we will leave you free to contribute to the festival according to your availability.”
There are over twenty shows that will accompany you until the summer.
On May 10th at 9pm in Ferrara Off, you will be able to attend two performances: in addition to the debut of “In chaos born” by Tirgan, Annalisa Limardi will be on stage with the first study of “Per Pleasure”, where she questions what pleasure means and why we need it so much.
On May 12th, we will see Annalisa Limardi again with “No”, a short piece that investigates the difficulty of recognising, expressing and defending one’s personal and intimate boundaries. Following this, director Ksenija Martinović returns to Ferrara Off with Federico Bellini to bring “Tesla”, a show about the famous scientist: a crossing of genres, from pure narrative theater to representative theater up to contemporary performativity.
On May 18th Bonsai opens its doors to the world of nature with “Royal Jelly”, an event in collaboration with the Natural History Museum to celebrate World Bee Day. At 11am Ferrara Off welcomes the conclusion of the entomological walk under the walls with the reading of a brilliant and macabre story by Roald Dahl for adults and children.
On May 19th, again in the morning for children and families, Bonsai moves to Palazzo Naselli Crispi, in collaboration with the Consorzio di Bonifica Pianura di Ferrara, with “Storie acquatiche”, original texts inspired by water created for the occasion by the playwrights Azzurra D’Agostino, Luca D’Arrigo, Margherita Mauro and Giulia Trivero.
On the same Sunday 19 May, but in the afternoon, the Festival returns to Ferrara Off to immerse the public in the evocative Boxes, with Valeria Bianchi, Aurora Buzzetti, Giulia De Canio, Francesco Capponi: from 3.30 pm a visual theater work, composed of magical boxes containing micro-shows and interactive games, accessible to one spectator at a time.
From the following week, the program continues with a rich series of events, listed below.
– Thursday 23 May at 9.00 pm
Ferrara Off Theater – viale Alfonso I d’Este 13
AN HONEST AND PARTIAL DISCOURSE ON THE MAJOR SYSTEMS by Pietro Angelini
– Saturday 25 May 6.00 pm – 7.30 pm – 9.00 pm private apartment
departure from Ferrara Off Teatro – viale Alfonso I d’Este 13
THIS IS WHERE WE MEET by and with Giulia Scotti and Andrea Pizzalis
– Sunday 26 May at 6.00 pm
Villa Imoletta – via Comacchio 882, Quartesana (FE)
THE FOUR-HANDED GORILLA Draglén Ansambl
– Friday 31 May at 6.30pm and 8.00pm
Torrione del Barco – viale Orlando Furioso
OMUS Ask the skin to respond CollettivO CineticO/Francesca Pennini
– Sunday 2 June at 11.00 am and 6.00 pm
Museum of Paleontology and Prehistory ‘P. Leonardi’ – Corso Ercole I d’Este 32
THE EXTINCTION OF THE PANDA (debut) by Greta Cappelletti/Agemò Teatro
– Friday 7 June at 9.15pm
Ferrara Off Theater – viale Alfonso I d’Este 13
ENTERTAINMENT by Ivan Vyrypaev/Menoventi
– Wednesday 12 June at 9.15pm
Multi-storey car park Borgoricco – Contrada di Borgoricco 16
STORIES (study, site specific) by Tatjana Motta/Agemò Teatro
– Thursday 13 June from 5pm to 7pm
Streaming on ZOOM platform
MICROTHEATRE EXPERIENCES (round table, ep. 3)
moderated by Giulia Poltronieri (Píndoles teatre breu in espais vius, Spain)
– Thursday 13 June at 9.15pm
Sant’Antonino water pumping plant (Cona) – via Fiaschetta 10
THE OYSTER’S DISEASE by and with Claudio Morici/MET
– Thursday 20 June at 9.15pm
Codigoro water pumping plant – via per Ferrara 2, Codigoro (FE)
THE CALL OF THE HERON readings by Giorgio Bassani edited by Ferrara Off
– Sunday 23 June at 9.15pm
Ferrara Off Theater – viale Alfonso I d’Este 13
ODE TO DESTRUCTION by and with Iacopo Loliva and Manuel Paolini
ARTURO Nardinocchi/Matcovich
– Tuesday 25 June at 9.15pm
Trattoria Il Sorpasso – via Saraceno 118
DANILO’S RECIPE Barbe à papa Teatro
– Always in the wake of the exploration of new languages, in addition to the Festival, Ferrara Off hosts the live podcast Offcast, recorded live and open to the public. The creatives and podcasters from Ferrara, Michael Buttini and Nicolò Battaglia, turn off the spotlights of the theater and turn on the microphones on the private side of people from Ferrara who have distinguished themselves for their talent.
– Tuesday 7 May at 6.30pm Ferrara Off Theatre
OFFCAST/Giorgio Tosi
President and creator of the University Sports Center of Ferrara. Eclectic man who was able to bring prestige to sport in the city, making it accessible to all. You will be able to listen to its history, vision and have some previews for the future.
– Wednesday 15 May at 6.30pm Ferrara Off Theatre
OFFCAST/The strange part of the internet
Appointment dedicated to the face behind one of the most curious and followed social pages of the moment: The strange part of the internet.
Friday 24 May at 6.30pm Ferrara Off Theatre
OFFCAST/Nicola Franceschini
Meeting with the face of local television information and entertainment, Nicola Franceschini, host of Telestense, as well as director of the FM-world newspaper, which deals with the radio world, of which he is a great fan.
The Bonsai Festival is organized thanks to the funds of the FNSV of the Ministry of Culture, of the Emilia – Romagna Region with law 13/99 and of the Municipality of Ferrara.
Bonsai is part of the FSE+ SpaziVerdi_OpenPlay – ATUSS Look-Up! of the Municipality of Ferrara, with the support of the European Funds of the Emilia-Romagna Region.
Ferrara Tua, Consorzio di Bonifica Pianura di Ferrara and Trattoria il Sorpasso gave significant support to this edition, choosing to contribute to the development of the area by investing in culture.
The activities are developed in partnership with the University of Ferrara, the University Museum System, the University Theater Center, the Ferrara Municipal Theater Foundation, the Civic Museum of Natural History of Ferrara, the Ariosto State High School, the Imoletta Foundation, the Pindoles Festival.
For the first year the Festival is twinned with “Parcoscenico”, which takes place in the Metropolitan City of Venice.
(Communication by the Ferrara OFF Theater)
