It’s the last week of Italy’s National Schools theatre review which is now in its 25th year. The review is the biggest and best so far with ever more generous sponsors. The season started on 27th April and ends on 20th May with prize giving at 3.30 PM and a grand party with music and cabaret at 8 PM.
If you’ve wondered what all those children are doing gathered outside Bagni’s Teatro Academico then this is your last chance to stop wondering and enjoy Italy’s talented schools enjoying their often first forays into the theatre world. Children from nursery to secondary schools, from villages around Bagni to far-flung places like Savona (Liguria) and Gorizia (Friuli-Venezia.Giulia) and a repertoire going from ancient Greek epics to Osborne’s ‘Look Back in Anger’ have all been part of the review.
Love of the theatre begins from acting in a school play and certainly what we have seen at the Teatro Academico demonstrates that theatre appreciation looks bright for Italy’s future Calliopean audiences.
Last night we attended a re-telling of Homer’s ‘Odyssey’ performed by Corsagna’s ‘Carducci’ primary school. A teacher friend of ours worked particularly hard on the production which was full of spectacle, humour and convincing performances.
See if you can spot the heroes and heroines the good and bad guys and the famous horse of the great epic in these photographs. I’m sure you’ll soon recognize Athene, Ulysses, Circe, Calypso and Nausicaä.
Full marks to all those children performing and to all the back-up team of teachers, technical staff, costume designers and a fine pianist. It was a thoroughly enjoyable show.
The last week treats plays on themes as varied as Frankenstein, Chernobyl and Gulliver’s travels. If you know just a bit of Italian the infectious acting of the young people will soon enable you to understand what’s going on. Be there if you can!