Eleonora Duse will be the protagonist of two events in Terni and Narni over the weekend.
They are proposed by the cultural association “Porto di Narni, landing place of Europe”, which wants to remember the actress on the centenary of her death.
The inspiration comes from archive research which made it possible to ascertain how Terni and Narni were important stages in Duse’s career.
“We have ascertained how Eleonora Duse performed twice in Terni and once in Narni – explains Christian Armadori, scholar of local history and president of the Porto di Narni cultural association – enjoying great success among the public from a very young age. The Verdi theater in Terni, in particular, represented a real launching pad for her. She performed there for the first time in January 1876, at the age of 17. She was called to replace the leading actress Adele Marchi. The reception from the Terni public was excellent. Duse then returned to Terni in June 1878. At the time she was among the actors of the Ciotti-Belli / Blanes company.
The first initiative will take place at the Bct in Terni on Saturday 18 May, starting at 4.30 pm.
Three guests will participate in the afternoon dedicated to the unforgettable actress: Professor Mirella Schino, professor of Performing Arts at the University of Rome 3, will present her book entitled “Eleonora Duse: stories and images of a theatrical revolution” in dialogue with the writer from Terni Alessandra D’Egidio; followed by the speech by Fiorenzo Silvestri, the greatest collector of memorabilia belonging to the actress, entitled “Eleonora Duse: the Divine Gypsy”; then the Perugian actress Mariella Chiarini will recite an excerpt from one of her theater performances entitled “Eleonora, last night in Pittsburgh”.
Igor Borozan will participate with a painting performance.
Sunday at 5.30 pm, appointment at the Manini theater in Narni, where Eleonora Duse performed in September 1882, a few days before meeting Gabriele D’Annunzio for the first time.
The actors Mariano Rigillo and Anna Teresa Rossini will take to the stage, who will stage the show entitled “Eleonora Duse, a solar incantation” written and directed by the Terni actor Stefano de Majo. The actors’ performance will be accompanied by the music of Emanuela Boccacani.
On both Saturday and Sunday, clothes created by Anita Mariani and inspired by Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo, who was Eleonora Duse’s stylist, will be on display.
Also on display are some letters from the correspondence that Gabriele D’Annunzio had with the Valli family of Narni.
