“I was a bully”, the theatrical premiere of the (true) story of Daniel Zaccaro in Verona

A bestselling book, a true story of redemption and redemption that now comes to the theater.

I was a bully tells the story of Daniel Zaccaro and it had extraordinary success: 16 reprints; for forty weeks in the rankings among the best-selling children’s books in Italy; translations underway in various countries, including China, Greece, Slovenia, Georgia and Romania.

Written by Andrea Franzoso and published by DeAgostini, now becomes a theatrical show produced by Aida Foundation in collaboration with the Department of Education and the Seventh District of Municipality of Verona.

A prose show with great sociological value and aimed at everyone, especially secondary school children, families, teachers, educators and all those who believe that it is never too late to start over, perhaps starting with our own mistakes and failures.

The show I was a bully, with the direction of Lucia Messinawill make its national premiere on June 19th at 9pm at the Cinema Teatro Nuovo San Michele (via Vincenzo Monti 7C) in Verona.

«Maybe there is some boy or girl out there who can read their life through my story and feel less alone – the words of Daniel Zaccaro -. In life there is no pre-written script. Right up to the end you can decide to change the ending.”

«No one would have bet a cent on Daniel – explains Franzoso, quoting the words of don Claudio Burgio, chaplain of the Beccaria juvenile prison –. Yet what seemed like a pre-written destiny takes an unexpected turn after Daniel meets some credible adults. We talk about very current issues: bullying, juvenile deviance, baby gangs, school dropouts, but it is also a call to action for adults: what example do we set for our kids, how can we intervene, what to do and what not to do? ».

Daniel lives in Quarto Oggiaro, a suburb of Milan. The climate in the family is tense, little money and constant arguments. He grew up in the courtyards of public housing, he loved football and was the strongest on the pitch, so much so that at the age of ten he played for Inter. The expectations on him are very high, and he doesn’t want to disappoint them. But when, during a match, Daniel misses the decisive goal, his dream of becoming a famous footballer is shattered forever.

In middle school Daniel is a bully feared by everyone, full of anger and aggression. He feels that the only way to earn respect is to instill fear and not fear anything, not even hitting the bank. And in fact, he gets to actually carry out the robberies, until he ends up in Beccaria, the juvenile prison.

He is considered a lost, irrecoverable boy.

To mark the turning point, the meeting with Don Claudio, the prison chaplain. Daniel is entrusted to his community, which welcomes “difficult kids”, and slowly learns to look at things from a new perspective. A retired literature teacher, Fiorella, who volunteers in prison, also takes care of him. Daniel resumes the studies he had interrupted, graduates, then decides to enroll at university. He finally graduated in Educational Sciences at the Catholic University and the prosecutor who had him convicted was also there to celebrate.

Today Daniel is an educator at the Kayrós community in Milan. «A very rich story – explains director Lucia Messina – of functional and dysfunctional characters and emotional colours. Rap songs, his source of recognition, are the soundtrack to stumbles and ascents.”