Bringing the theater to the outskirts of Novara, where it actually does not exist, promoting the participation of residents, in Rizzottaglia and Sant’Andrea. At the “Green Roofs”, south of the city, 6 shows will be staged between summer and autumn with the ambitious aim of transmitting the magic of theater to neighborhoods that are not used to experiencing it, enchanting spectators.
This is the soul of «(F)Atti di neighbourhood», a project promoted by the Territorio e Cultura association for the third year in a row and born from the «Sottocasa 2023» tender, financed by the Cariplo Foundation. «We will make people who normally don’t go there fall in love with the theater», explained Mariano Arenella and Elena Ferrari, artistic directors of «Cabiria Teatro» which collaborates on the initiative together with the Aurive cooperative and Rest-Art. «We want to give the residents of the neighborhoods, high moments in which life is lived on stage, interacting with the communities through the rediscovery of “Green Roofs”».
The Rizzottaglia location, says Giacomo Balduzzi, collaborator of Territorio e Cultura, was discovered two years ago during the Costellazioni Urbane project: «It had great unexpressed potential and we thought it could become a place to make art on an ongoing basis. By creating a network with other associations in Novara, we have managed to create a series of shows that can involve the inhabitants.” The first show will be staged on Friday at 9pm: «Sandokan or the end of the adventure», by the «I sacchi di santi» company.
The story of the character born from the imagination of Emilio Salgari is told by four actors in aprons, with vegetables, basins of water and kitchen tools. On Friday 28 June, with two performances at 8pm and 8.30pm, says Arenella, a Macbeth will be performed «where the spectators will be blindfolded. The actors will physically accompany them, scene after scene, in the Shakespearean tragedy, stimulating their hearing, touch and smell.” On July 12, at 9.30 pm, it will be the turn of «Sid-So far so good», a drama accompanied by a DJ set: the story is about an Italian boy born in Algeria who loves literature, designer plastic bags and who committed murder.
After the summer, we start again with «Hamlet, prince of palaces», an adaptation of Shakespeare performed by residents of the Rizzottaglia neighbourhood, on stage on 14 September at 9pm. This is followed by «The order of things», a traveling show between September and October set inside a car that will travel around the Sant’Andrea district. The spectators, 4 at a time, will get into the car in Via San Rocco and interact with an actor on board. «The last show is “La banalità del mare” in collaboration with Re-Start – explains Arenella -. A monologue of mine that talks about work.”
The same rule applies for all shows: tickets cost 10 euros (5 in the case of Sandokan) if purchased at the ticket office located in the headquarters of the Tutelattiva Consumers Association, in Piazza Donatello.
