The art of expression is what gives theatre the remarkable power to transform one’s thoughts in just one hour of being in the audience.
For the rest of 2016 and throughout 2017, 86 shows, 13 national premieres, 11 productions and 10 co-productions are taking over four stages this year throughout Tuscany, changing the understanding of just how far artistic expression can reach, through an artistic balancing act of maintaining tradition and taking risks.
This is the first time that the Theatre Foundation of Tuscany will present several different shows at multiple locations. The participating theatres will be the Pergola, the revamped Niccolini Theatre, the Mila Pieralli Studio Theatre of Scandicci and the Era di Pontedera Theatre.
With over 200 people working to bring this year’s lineup together, each of the shows will demonstrate how the theatre encompasses much more than just Florence’s historically enriched city centre. La Pergola will house the larger, grand scale stage productions, Niccolini will feature productions in Italian, Scandicci as more of an experimenting location for creating scenes and set ups for the productions, and Pontedera as a combining theatre bridging experimental and traditional theatre together.
As it has only been considered a National Theatre for one year now, the selection must undoubtedly appeal to a grand scale of audiences. And it certainly does. This year, the shows put forth will cover several different realities and perspectives, being both highly relatable as well as traditionally familiar. Running from September 2016 until May 2017, some of the most well-known directors of the industry will put forth their unique, as well as classical, renditions of shows.
Audiences will re-experience Shakespearean classics like “Romeo and Juliet”, as well as national premieres of contemporary storylines like “Ciao”, where the lost connection between a father and son is rediscovered years after the father’s passing.
While the lineup is particularly representative of the dramatic arts, there will also be shows dedicated to contemporary dance, as well as an international dedication to the 150th anniversary of Japan and Italy’s unity, presented by Japanese actors and musicians. The unique selection also includes a performance dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Florence’s Big Flood, brought to the stage by the group “Carissimi padri”, special projects “Sognare a teatro” and “Il sogno di Alice”, as well as an exhibition dedicated to Arnoldo Foa.
One of the directors stated that the greatest joy of theatre is the ability to dream, to understand, and to express. That, is what the theatre truly represents. And that is what this year’s theatre productions aim to bring.