STONE
Adapted from 'Stone Butch Blues'
by Leslie Feinberg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PDAiuC4nMU&t=7s
Written by Carmen Pellegrinelli
With Laura Mola
Directed by Carmen Pellegrinelli
Lighting by Simone Moretti
A P&P Theatre Academic Productions production
With the support of Alfi LesbichexxBergamo
Premiered at Orlando Festival 2023
Photo by Samantha Cinquini
https://www.orlandofestival.it/
Language: Italian and English
The show is based on the novel "Stone Butch Blues" written in 1993 by the lesbian activist Leslie Feinberg. It is the theatrical rewriting in the form of a monologue of the imaginary biography of Jess Goldberg, who lives in a non-binary body in the violent society of that time. The play tells about Jess's journey, overcoming the idea of genre as a performance to connect it to the material root of its becoming. In her journey looking for "home", Jess faces the reality of not belonging to either genre, but instead of embodying another dimension, creative and non-binary, in constant negotiation with the context and in contact with her deep self. "Stone Butch Blues" is a classic of LGBTQUIA+ literature, which, together with Jess, tells the story of the trans, gay and lesbian community rights movements in the United States and is still very current because it addresses classism, racism, capitalism, homophobia and transphobia, providing critical interpretations for the contemporary
PRESS
It is always a complex choice to stage a novel, and the risk is getting lost in biographical detail. Still, Pellegrinelli in Stone intelligently tackled such a dense text and, following a principle of intersectionality, stitched the themes of homophobia and transphobia to the themes of racism, capitalism and classism, giving a complex reading of the contemporary. The most intense scenes, however, were those in which the word gave way to pure performance action. Sometimes more lyrical and biting than any other language”. (my translation)
Valentina Sorte, Paneacquaculture.net
In ‘Stone’, the national premiere at the Caverna Theatre, Carmen Pellegrinelli recounts, through the beautiful interpretation of Laura Mola, the novel "Stone Butch Blues". At the centre is the tormented life of Jess Goldberg, who at the turn of the 1960s-1980s became the bearer of gay rights with struggles and claims within a homophobic and repressive society that saw her misunderstood, beaten, and imprisoned. The play is a stark snapshot of that era and deals with 'classism, racism, capitalism, homophobia and transphobia in an intersectional way'. Jess: someone who dared to define herself as not belonging to any precise gender, starting from rejecting any binary categorisation.
Mario Bianchi, Krapp’s Last Post
She is constantly on a quest, Jess, in a woman's body where she does not recognise herself, showing herself as a 'stone butch', a lesbian with feminine masculinity. A path of acceptance within herself that is reflected on the outside, also through interpersonal relationships [...] It is a difficult path, lived by Jess with the awareness of wanting to be herself first and foremost, to understand her person beyond her outward appearance and the unspeakable anguish she is forced to endure. (my translation)
Marco Zonca, Bergamo News
Stone would have less force than if it did not resonate with -isms and phobias of bitter topicality and if the body at the centre of the stage were not that of Mola, a rare species of a living instrument of muscles, nerves and expressiveness at the service of a dramatic and ironic, desperate and vital text, where every obstacle becomes a step towards an inevitably cathartic finale.
In its uniting of the personal and the political, 'Stone' reaffirms that the personal is political and that civil and social rights must go hand in hand: LGBTQIA+ claims carry less weight if they are not contextualised in this late capitalism in its last (violent) throes.” (my translation)
Luca Barachetti, indipendent editor
SiLENT DAYS, SLEEPLESS NiGHTS
Giorni muti, notti bianche
With doctors and nurses from
the Emergency Room of the Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital in Bergamo
Written by Carmen Pellegrinelli based on the testimonies of doctors and nurses
Directed by Silvia Briozzo
Assistant Director Gabriella Erba
Live music Gianluigi Trovesi, Luca Remondini
Light designer Simone Moretti
Set designer Enzo Mologni
Photos Andrea Farzetta
A Centro Isadora Duncan Production
Sustained by Fondazione Cariplo
Institutional partners: Municipality of Bergamo and ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII
With: Province of Bergamo, Municipality of Nembro, City od Orzinuovi, Ordine dei medici chirurghi e degli odontoiatri della provincia di Bergamo, OPI d Bergamo and fondazione Carisma.
language: Italian
Bergamo and Brescia Capitale della Cultura 2023
“Silent Days, Sleepless Nights” is a choral theatre show composed of the testimonies and memories of the doctors and nurses of the Papa Giovanni Hospital in Bergamo during the COVID crisis of March 2020. The show, staged by the doctors and nurses themselves, tells of the bewilderment in the face of an unexpected event of enormous dimensions. Those unforgettable memories still live under the lids. There are multi-voiced dialogues, acid choirs that counterpoint intimate moments, monologues and narrations, choreography, an epic song and the wonderful live music of the Trovesi and Remondini duo. The space is bare, and the lack of objects and costumes that refer to signs of hospitals is intentional. It is not a show that denounces, infuriates, explains, takes a stand, launches messages or appeals. Instead, here is a human experience. (my translation)
Official website
PRESS
“A work that seeks to restore an experience that has become part of everyone's history. A choral, generous and epic tale, in which doctors and nurses strip themselves of their professional roles to lay themselves bare, leaving their wounds open in a secular and collective rite”. (my translation)
Rai Cultura
“Bergamo, ovation for the doctors and nurses who brought the covid tragedy to the stage.”
Corriere.it
“It is a choral, generous and epic tale. A work that, first and foremost, wants to give back an experience that has become part of everyone's history.”
“The pandemic told on stage, the actors are doctors and nurses from Bergamo: standing ovation”
Luigina Venturelli, TGR Lombardia
“On the first evening, at the end of the show, after five minutes of applause with the whole theatre on its feet, doctors and nurses persuaded the director, Silvia Briozzo, to come on stage, together with her assistant Gabriella Erba and Carmen Pellegrinelli, who wrote the play. Perhaps at that moment, the authors and actors experienced what Dario Fo used to say: 'There is an ancient rule in theatre. When you have finished, there is no need for you to say another word. Say goodbye and think that you have satisfied that person in your feelings and thoughts, and they will be grateful to you “. (my translation)
Stefano Rodi, Sette, Corriere della Sera
THE DISTANCE from the moon
La distanza dalla Luna
Running up
Experimenta Award 2022
From a Cosmocomica of Italo Calvino
With: Michele Eynard and Pierangelo Frugnoli at the guitar
Directed by: Carmen Pellegrinelli
Light designer: Simone Moretti
A Luna e Gnac Production
Language: Italian
A Finnish word defines the atmosphere of this show: "Kaukokaipuu", that is, the nostalgia for a place we have never been to. Once, more than 4 billion years ago, the moon was very close to the Earth. The moon was so close that the people of the time could have climbed it with a ladder. That genius of Italo Calvino tried to imagine what it would have been like to live at that time and explain why we feel a little nostalgic each time we look at the moon.
PRESS
This show is pure narration, with all the characteristics that this entails: expository clarity, the emotional colouring of the narrated text, different points of view and distinct vocals according to the characters, while a great communicative empathy hovers over everything. Calvino's atmospheres slowly take up space on the empty stage, with confidential elegance and sobriety.”
Jury of the Experimenta Award 2022 prize
PROMO VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJlLrwBbvJI
Pedala
Runner at Premio Ermo Colle 2020
With: Federica Molteni
Written by Federica Molteni with Alessandro De Lisi based on “La Corsa Giusta” by Antonio Ferrara
Directed by: Carmen Pellegrinelli
Set and lighit design Michele Eynard
Sound list Pierangelo Frugnoli
Stage costumes Francesca Biffi
With Comune di Selvino
Supported by Museo Memoriale di Sciesopoli Ebraica
Language: Italian
The play tells the story of Gino Bartali, the Italian cycling champion, from the war's end to the economic boom. The show intertwines the voices of Gino and Adriana, his wife, who are talking about cycling in Italy during the reconstruction. The play talks about the bond of Gino with Fausto Coppi, rival and brother in battles, about a country split in two, the attack on Togliatti, the first vote for women in 1946, the epic Tour de France of '48, which changed the history of Italy. Adriana and Gino's voices, played by Federica Molteni, tell about us, about our past, but raise questions about the present. And about the future of our country.
PRESS
There is nothing didactic. The story is told to us by those who lived it with anecdotes related to the personal sphere, the joys of the race, the effort of crossing those Alps, the scene of great sprints, and violent battles for Liberation. Thanks to their personal and microscopic history, they are two human beings who give us a more accurate picture of Italy than macro-events, with their dates and aseptic notions, can give back. Gino was a courageous man as well as a great cyclist: we are told of his successes, of his commitment in the war for the salvation of many Italian Jews and of the beautiful rivalry with Fausto Coppi; everything flows as if we were there with them and we are moved by that Italy which has suffered unimaginable hardships, so poor but aware of what it means to be free, to be able to vote and unite in the joy of a goal, thanks to a figure like that of Gino Bartali, humble, iconic and positive.
Review for #latitudinistagioneteatrale
Experimenta Award 2017
Affoga nel mio corpo non nel mare
With: Silvia BrIOZZO
Written by: Silvia Briozzo and Carmen Pellegrinelli
Directed by: Carmen Pellegrinelli
Set design: Adriano Salvi
Supported by: Residenza Initinere, Cariplo Foundation Milan and Lombardy Region
Language: Italian
A story. The story of great love. A story of knowledge. Of distance. And nostalgia. It is a tale of dramatic boundaries. A story that strays into unknown worlds. Desires and needs Silvia, the eburnean. The Woman. Free. Independent. An actress without artifice. Baba, the black. The Man. Honest.The pack leader. A noble migrant. She gives him a mat to pray on. He gives her his goodnight on the phone every evening. She opens her house to him. He opens his suitcase, full of nostalgia.
PRESS
“The presentation to the show's public confirms Silvia Briozzo's excellent interpretative quality. It also proves the strength of the text - written with Carmen Pellegrinelli, who also takes care of the diligent directing - who knows how to treat, with raw realism and delicate poetry, the theme of migration and the relationship between one another and their culture.” (My translation)
The jury of the Experimenta Award 2017 prize
pink wheels
ruote rosa
With: Michele Eynard, Laura Mola and Federica Molteni
Written and directed by Carmen Pellegrinelli
Set and light design by Enzo Mologni
Theatre costumes: Vittoria Papaleo e Maria Barbara De Marco
Produced by Luna e Gnac Theatre Company/Supported by: Residenza Initinere, Cariplo Foundation Milan and Lombardy Region.
Language: Italian and French surtitles
This is the story of Alfonsina Morini Strada, who challenged all conventions at the beginning of the 20th century and decided to become a professional cyclist. She won many races, and in 1924, she was the first woman to participate in the Giro d’Italia. This is a story of emancipation but, at the same time, an anti-heroic deed. Because when a woman manages to conquer a public space, she never does it only for herself.
PRESS
“The story of the cyclist Alfonsina, rewritten and directed by Carmen Pellegrinelli, becomes an opportunity to illuminate forgotten stories, many of which tell of women. This story moves us.”
4/5/2017 Agnese Doria e Camilla Fava, osservatorioteatroragazzi.it
“Between illustration and interpretation, the show turns out to be a moving and fair tribute not only to Alfonsina but to all women who courageously marked, often quietly, the history of our country.”
30/5/2017 Mario Bianchi, eolo-ragazzi.it
“A story from the beginning of the 20th century so amazing that it seems like a fairy tale. A simple language and set design, in black and white, but able to speak directly to the heart of the audience.”
1/11/2017 Barbara Rodella, Gazzetta di Mantova
Awards
The show was chosen for the XX Week of the Italian Language in the World in France.
NEXT 2016 laboratory of ideas- Regional Italian Competition.
Running at “Teatro Officina Award 2017”- Italian National Competition.
Monsters! A hymn to childhood
Winner of “LuglioBambino Award” 2019 – a National competition
Shortlisted for NEXT 2017 laboratory of ideas, Lombardy Region – Regional Competition.
Shortlisted for National Call In-Box Green 2016 – a National Competition
Written and directed by Carmen Pellegrinelli
with Michele Eynard and Federica Molteni
live drawings Michele Eynard
sets and monsters Enzo Mologni
light design Enzo Mologni
production Luna and GNAC Teatro
thanks to Albano Arte for the support
This is the story of Tobia, a shy boy who likes to be on his own and, above all, draw monsters. But it’s also the story of his parents, Cinzia and Augusto, who don’t know what to do with this difficult child. Tobia cannot concentrate on things, doesn’t want to take responsibility and lives in his fantasies. He is a child with a “low score”, according to his teacher’s educational standards. But Tobia is also a rich and resourceful child who, through his drawings, opens the doors of his inner world and shows us the wonders of his imagination. This poetic, comic, and very original show will enchant children and move adults with its power. The question it poses is: What do we expect from our children? Do these expectations take into account children’s real wishes? And when do we stop believing in dreams?
PRESS
Attending a show such as “I Moztri” (there is no mistake) by the expert company Luna and Gnac (selected by the artist directors of the “LuglioBambino Award”, Manola Nifosì and Sergio Aguirre, and winners of the 2019 edition, the twenty-sixth ), has a double meaning for children but also for parents who accompanied them. (…) Our Tobias designs Monsters, which then come to life in a delicate mix of drawings, projections, slides, cardboard, shadows and puppets with voices as ungraceful as they are adorable and lovable because, with them, they can have a dialogue(…).
12/7/2019 Tommaso Chimenti
Numerous people have applauded «Moztri! Hymn to Childhood» by the Luna and Gnac Teatro. Halfway between comics, actor's theatre, and shadows, the show tells the importance of creative freedom and fantasy through poetry.
16/1/2018 La Stampa
Gino Bartali: silent hero.
Gino Bartali: eroe silenzioso
More than 300 performances since its premiere in 2016, with over 25,000 spectators throughout Europe: Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France.
Taken from La corsa giusta di Antonio Ferrara
With: Federica Molteni
Directed by: Carmen Pellegrinelli
A Luna e Gnac production with Residenza Initinere
Language: Italian and German surtitles
At only 24, Gino Bartali is the personification of the heroic cycling of the Thirties. But Fascism changes his career forcefully: his sporting life is bent on the Duce, who wants Gino to become the ambassador of Fascism in the world. But Gino refuses to obey. Instead, he becomes a courier of the clandestine network of Resistance. This show talks about Resistance, the hardships of sport, and the silence of the bravest actions. It is about the life of a sports champion, but above all, of a person who has chosen where to stand.
Awards and participations
Guest of the Italian Cultural Institute Vienna.
Guest of the Italian Cultural Institute in Zurich.
·Guest of the Cote d'Azur University of Nice.
Selected at the International Performing Arts Exchange in Thun-Switzerland.
Theatre of Locarno
Festival of Castelmur, Val Bregaglia-SwitzerlandInternational Storytelling Festival of Arzo- Switzerland
Show chosen for the Italian Cultural Institute in Vienna (Austria)
Shortlisted for “In scena! Italian theatre festival” a New York at Milano Off FestivalRunning at “Experimenta Award 2018”
PRESS
Federica Molteni is a giantess, a matrix without hesitation and stumbles on stage. She is Bartali; as a woman, she becomes more a man than any man she would aspire to; she loses nothing of the grace of a lady, transforming her into dynamite that detonates all prejudices. But, this beauty is not a man's job!”
Novembre 2019 – Alessandro Filippo De Lisi, Finnegans
“A brilliant monologue by the excellent actress Federica Molteni, who even manages to imitate the champion's attitude and famous raspy voice. It is a great show.”
15/6/2017 Arrigomo, nellanotizia.it
“It is a successful show in which the narration of Federica Molteni is compelling because it is supported by straightforward acting techniques (...). It is distinguished and central, the firm hand of the director (excellent as always, Carmen Pellegrinelli) able to give a valid form to the overall action through rigorous care of the recitative details and the scenic composition.”
2/10/2018 Experimenta Award 2018
On stage, to tell us about this incredible character is very talented and moved Federica Molteni, who drew inspiration from the book La corsa giusta (The Right Race) by Antonio Ferrara: a very successful stage adaptation, which excites, amuses and makes us reflect [...]
13/6/2017 Emanuela Mugliarisi Saltinaria
The protagonist, directed by Carmen Pellegrinelli, interprets a single life in its evolution and nuances and, in parallel, a choral affair belonging to History with a capital letter. [...] Federica Molteni changes her voice and multiplies into many characters, recreating an era with the art of storytelling.
4/12/22 Nicoletta Cavanna, Radio Gold
Words in trenches
Written and directed by Carmen Pellegrinelli
With Michele Eynard and Federica Molteni
Consulting history and archive materials by Rinaldo Gabrielli
Luna e GNAC Theatre- Initinere production
Realised with the support of the Municipality of Boltiere- Department of Culture
The archivist research at the historical archive of the Municipality of Boltiere inspires the play. Letters, documents, and deeds help us tell the remarkable history through people's everyday lives, a journey into the memory of the First World War starting from real stories. A trip into the memory so as not to forget a human tragedy accomplished in the name of nationalist rhetoric. It is an invitation to read the alarming signs of contemporary populism and to turn around ideally and practically towards a more human perspective of inclusion and brotherhood.
Press
Yesterday, at the premiere of " Words in the Trenches ", born from the commemoration of the Municipality of Boltiere, supported there and made public for the first time, we witnessed a deeply moving representation. True. Nude and raw. Held together and embraced by the beauty of art that makes you love and helps you to assimilate even the most complex stories.
Elena Elle Comana
La vie de Carmèn. It is not just a matter of love
Written, directed and acted by Carmen Pellegrinelli
Premiered at the first edition of Orlando Bergamo Queer Festival
with the participation of Daria Fratus
videos by Vanessa Meris
music by Alessandra Sacchitella
costumes and set by Stefano Facoetti
light disegn by Lisa Guerini
Initinere production
The show deals ironically with the problem of homophobia.
Why can’t heterosexuals be bothered with the meaning and value of the LGBT world?
The show tries to address this and other matters, highlighting the issue of public acceptance of homosexuality in the world.
U
El Chambalache, a free digression on Tango
Written and directed by Carmen Pellegrinelli
with Simona Zanini
clarinets Gabriele Rubino
accordion Diego Zanoli
guitar Alberto Zanini
production Compagnia Essere e Tempo in collaboration with MAITE, Bergamo Alta Social Club, and Filodrammatici Theatre in Treviglio.
This show is a composition of songs and music from the tango tradition, ranging from Sicily to Argentina. Music, singing and dancing are the supporting elements of the story, giving it shape and inspiration. In its simplicity, the plot recalls the significant themes of tango culture: jealousy, passion, betrayal, reconciliation and ultimately, nostalgia for lost proximity.
Naila's Tango is the memory of the impossible relationship. It is a duel to the death with no winners. It is a race to the death. It is a gust, a devilishness, a passion of weary years. It is laughter, an unconvinced lament. It is an eternal feigned surrender.
BASTARD NIGHTS
serate bastarde
Written by: Renata Ciaravino and Carmen Pellegrinelli
With: Renata Ciaravino, Silvia Gallerano and Carmen Pellegrinelli
Directed by: Dionisi Theatre Company
Produced by Dionisi Theatre Company
Supported by: Cariplo Foundation Milan, NEXT 2009 and ETRE project
Premiere at: Piccolo Theatre of Milan Festival Mix 2010, Fringe Festival Edinburgh 2009, Kilowatt Festival 2010, Out-off Theatre in Milan 2010
Language: Italian and English
Bastard Nights is a tragicomic cabaret that speaks in a feminist key of sex, politics, religion and death. The show is a tapestry of panels rendered in stand-up comedy, exhibitionism, drama, satire and tragedy. Bastard Night is a smouldering fury that shoots at American imperialism, moronic celebrity, and Italy's gradual destruction by a government that doesn't understand "conflict of interest”.
PRESS
“Carmen, Renata and Silvia are intellectual, Italian lefties, and they want to make you think about current affairs, through spoof pop videos, bared boobs and free samples of Berlusconi’s sperm. With a Kabul-set Sex and the City remake, a bikini dance from a third degree burns victim (Carmen) and skits about brain-rotting telly, this is subversive, shocking, clever and utterly nuts comedy.”
19/08/2009 Claire Sawers The List***
“Shocking, funny, in your face and very, very political, Italian satirical comedy may or may not be your cup of cappuccino even when it's translated into English (albeit told in deliciously OTT Italian accents). Now is your chance to rediscover satire as it should be, courtesy of this provocative, incisive trio.”
20/08/2009 Nick Awde, The Stage
“ …) But that tirade, and everything else in the show, pales next to two show-stopping routines. The first skewers the X-Factor/beauty pageant culture, by imagining a world in which burns victims are considered the apex of sexy. (Performer Carmen Pellegrinelli, flouncing around in skimpy bikini, herself has third-degree burns.) The second sees the trio distribute sachets of Silvio Berlusconi's sperm, then strip to bathe in a dinghy full of the stuff, panting "look at me, Silvio" as they splash around. It's dizzyingly bizarre, and a reminder of how thrilling political satire can be when its proponents really let rip.”
26/08/2009 Brian Logan The Guardian ****
“Thankfully, Serate Bastarde is more than just funny. The subtle word play and timing that comedy needs is sometimes lost in the translation from Italian. Dionisi have successfully subverted the sketch show format, reminding us how it can be used for the bleakest satire that is both darkly funny and absurdly familiar.”
16/08/2009 Margaret Kirk, The Skinny ****
Papavero, the nanny who could not fly anymore
PAPAVERO LA TATA CHE NON POTEVA PIU’ VOLARE
With Francesca Poliani, Marco Menghini & Giusi Marchesi
Written and directed by Carmen Pellegrinelli
Produced by: Teatro Prova Theatre Company
Supported by: Cariplo Foundation of Milan, Lombardy Region and MIBAC - Ministry for cultural assets and activities
Language: Italian
Mrs. Papavero takes care of the city's children. Mrs. Papavero not only knows a lot of stories, but she also knows how to fly with her umbrella. But one day, Mrs. Papavero's umbrella does not open anymore. Will the young Michele and Giulia manage to make it fly again? A show on the importance of relationships and parenting as a choice of care and responsibility beyond biological bonds.