From 12 to 17 September, the city of Reggio Calabria hosted EPIC Reggio Calabria ‘24 (Esperienze Performative di Impegno Civile – Performative Experiences of Civic Involvement) a programme of theatre shows curated by Mana Chuma Teatro in the framework of the project ReggioFest24: cultura diffusa, promoted by the Municipality of Reggio Calabria and financed under the National Fund for Live Performing Arts of the Ministry of Culture’s General Directorate for Performances.
More than a festival EPIC is an ongoing, itinerant cultural project that stems from multiple collaborations aimed at enhancing local artistic initiatives and fostering exchange over time with Italian, Mediterranean and foreign entities of contemporary culture.
Therefore, with its feet firmly rooted in the territory and ramifications across the world, Mana Chuma Teatro follows the clear mission of being an active part in weaving intricate social and cultural networks in Calabria and Sicily where it mainly operates. Precisely for this reason, the 2024 edition of EPIC Reggio Calabria was organised in close collaboration with the Parco Diffuso della Conoscenza e del Benessere di Pellaro, in the southern area of the city. A magical place. A balcony over the Strait curated by Centro di medicina solidale ACE with the aim of contributing to a “new paradigm of wellbeing”, a holistic one in which physical and psychic care cannot be detached from the environment in which the person lives and from the network of social, cultural and productive relations that the individual achieves in the course of his or her existence.
What better place to give life to a cultural project that is intended to sow seeds in an area that is too often and unjustly forgotten?
In order to respect the magic and silence of the place, this marvellous natural park where the view is lost in the sea, from the southern edge of the city of Reggio Calabria to the coast and mountains of Sicily, Mana Chuma Teatro has thought of stage sets produced with minimal energy consumption. This aspect is in line with a vision it holds dear that encompasses good environmental and social practices.
As the setting sun slipped behind the mountains of Sicily, colouring the waters of the Strait with its red and golden hues, the artists prepared to present their works in this natural arena amidst the Mediterranean vegetation. This edition featured some of the most important and innovative actors and companies of contemporary Italian theatre.
Beginning with Fabrizio Ferracane and Salvatore Arena who, supported by the precious and never invasive presence of Luigi Polimeni on piano, marranzano and synth, gave life to the first study of “Il Monte Aspro” (directed by Massimo Barilla and Arena himself): a path of research and critical rereading of the historical-social and anthropological processes that have marked the people of Aspromonte through the best Calabrian literature, from Saverio Strati to Umberto Zanotti Bianco, and Gioacchino Criaco, author of the best seller “Anime nere” , who also offered his advice.
Thunderous applause greeted actor Ciro Masella, protagonist of the reading based on “Novecento”, the successful theatrical monologue by Alessandro Baricco. And Pietro Del Soldà, writer and very popular voice of Radio 3, who staged “Apologia dell’avventura”, directed by Manfredi Rutelli, with original live music by the duo Interiors.
The audience was amazed by Giovanni Calcagno, who juggled between two marottes, seamlessly switching between Italian, ancient Greek, Sicilian, Neapolitan and Venetian to bring Theocritus’ Idyll XI in “Polifemo innamorato” into the contemporary world.
Just as extraordinary was the closing performance entrusted to Melino Imparato and Totò Pizzillo who, in “È piena l’aria di invisibili parole”, took the audience on a journey through the poetic universe of the great Palermo playwright Franco Scaldati, who passed away in 2013 and is considered one of the most authoritative voices of Italian theatre.
“Segnale d’allarme. La mia battaglia VR”, the virtual reality show by Elio Germano and Chiara Lagani (directed by Germano himself and Omar Rashid), based on a text that had already been staged in theatre, embarked the audience on a full immersion in another theatrical dimension thanks to a digital visor. A disturbing performance, aimed at underlining how new technologies and a distorted use of communication can represent real dangers for democracies.
Last but not least, “La parola sonora”, the performance poetry episode curated by Mana Chuma Teatro featuring readings by Massimo Barilla, Elizabeth Grech, Salvatore Arena in conversation with Luigi Polimeni’s live music preceded the performances nearly every evening.
The attention received by important national newspapers such as Stati Generali – according to their critic Walter Porcedda, EPIC featured among the most important festivals in Italy in September – and local newspapers (Gazzetta del Sud, Quotidiano del Sud, Radio Touring 104, Il Dispaccio, etc.) testify to the success of the initiative.
The conclusion of EPIC Reggio ‘24 is really just a goodbye. Mana Chuma Teatro and its network of strategic collaborations with the UEPE (External Criminal Execution Office) of the Ministry of Justice, the National Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria MArRC, the Università degli Studi Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, and the Order of Architects, Planners, Landscapers and Conservators of the Province of Reggio Calabria are planning other significant projects in the province in the near future. A territory and an audience that are proving increasingly attentive and participatory to the initiatives of the Calabrian-Sicilian theatre company.
