Back in Ravenna, Gambettola, Longiano and Gatteo is the Arrivano dal Mare! Festival, now in its 48th edition. The event will run from May 19 to 28 with a dense schedule of performances, international projects, meetings, exhibitions and master classes. More than one hundred guest artists and masters for this edition, from all over Italy and six foreign countries
The International Festival of Puppets and Figures Arriving from the Sea!!! among the longest-running festivals entirely dedicated to Figure Theater in Italy and the world, reaches its 48th edition with the title What we talk about when we talk about love., a quote from the American poet and writer Raymond Carver which intends to once again place the issues of accessibility, inclusiveness and peaceful cohabitation between communities and cultures at the center of artistic and political attention and debate.
The event, which for years has been an unmissable appointment for artists, operators and spectators, will take place from May 19 to 28 in Ravenna and in the towns of Gambettola, Longiano and Gatteo, with a wide range of performances for adult audiences and families, meetings, exhibitions, workshops. The Artistic Direction of the Festival is by. Roberta Colombo and Andrea Monticelli - Teatro del Drago/Famiglia d'Arte Monticelli of Ravenna in collaboration with the host municipalities, the Emilia-Romagna Region, the Ministry of Culture.
"The Festival Arriving from the Sea," says Ravenna City Councilor for Culture Fabio Sbaraglia, "from one edition to the next has grown, becoming richer and more participatory, and is heading in great shape toward the milestone of its 50th year. It is an event of which we are very proud just as we are pleased with the theme chosen this year on inclusiveness and confrontation as roots of daily living marked by tolerance and love. Puppets and puppet theater are very old, they have always captured the attention and imagination of young and old and are an important and authoritative educational and didactic vector, capable of making people think while entertaining all generations."
What do we talk about when we talk about love...?
...a thought that has characterized this past year of artistic reflection. What does it mean to talk about love, through art, in a world dominated by words like "war," "emergency," "crisis," and "extinction"? What can be the role of art, theater and, in its small way, figure theater in this discourse? This year's Festival attempts to emphasize the theme of inclusivity and confrontation as inescapable roots of daily, peaceful coexistence, and it attempts to do so through one of the richest and most heterogeneous programs, capable of connecting different artistic worlds not only as languages but also as generations. This edition of the Festival, in fact, sees represented all the traditional techniques of Italian Figure Theater and beyond: the puppets, the puppets, i puppets sicilians and the guarattelle Neapolitan puppets. At the same time, they also have in the program a representation of excellence the shadow theater, the theater of objects, the theater on black, and in general the more contemporary panorama of this theatrical world. The confrontation between these languages, however, does not take place in an oppositional dynamic between new and old, between experimental and traditional, but rather intersects these elements by bringing different generations into dialogue. And so, a technique such as traditional puppetry now passes from the hands of a historical family like the Gran Teatro Burattini Niemen to those of the very young Valerio Saccà, the new representative of the Lombard mask of the Meneghino; up to the experience of the Spanish puppeteer Paz Tatay, who will open the confrontation to a European tradition of figure theater. the language of shadows is now proposed in the historical guise of the Teatro Gioco Vita, an internationally recognized excellence, now in that of the more contemporary and emerging company Unterwasser. The themes are also transversal: war, the brutality of war, will inhabit the scene of the "ready-made" objects of Israeli Ariel Doron as well as the shack of Parma puppeteer Patrizio Dall'Argine. Finally, the attempt to "include" in the broadest possible sense will touch on the most sensitive issues of disability with the international project Sixth Sense Theatre, but it will also take the form of broader and more radical thinking and an attempt to open more or less theatrical spaces to a real tout public, capable of welcoming different generations of spectators, without sharp separations between targets and labels. A theater of all and for all, this is our idea of love for this Festival.
The Festival - The Performances
International guests
Once again this year the Festival was committed to creating a program schedule that could feature excellence from abroad, with representation from six different countries. The Franco-Spanish Compagnie Pelele, represented by puppeteer Paz Tatay, which will bring to the stage one of its workhorses, La muerte de Don Cristobal, in Gambettola and Ravenna. Another excellence on the international scene, the Belgian Tof Théâtre by Alain Moreau, in double repetition in Ravenna on Monday, May 22 with Dans L'Atelier. Among the Festival's chief guests are Israeli artist Ariel Doron. master of international object theater who will hold a masterclass on the subject at the Festival (May 22-24 at the Casa delle Culture in Ravenna, info and registration at www.arrivanodalmare.it) and will be on stage Thursday, May 26 at the Artificerie Almagià with Plastic Heroes, a visionary performance of object theater for adult audiences that boasts many years of touring around the world and irreverently addresses the theme of war. Also on stage at Artificerie Almagià from May 25 to 27 is Macedonian Alex Mihajlovski, also known as "Barti" after the name of the sophisticated puppet that has made him world famous in twenty formidable years of touring. Finally, it will be staged at the MAR art museum of the city of Ravenna from May 25 to 27, the interactive virtual reality exhibition Puppets 4.0 - Museum without walls, an innovative all-digital exhibition experience on the world of figure theater conceived by the director of the Fidena Festival in Bochum (Germany) Annette Dabs and by the young artist Mareike Gaubitz.
Sixth Sense Theatre
Also in the area of internationalization, which Dragon Theater and the Festival Arriving from the Sea! have been dedicated to for many years, we would like to highlight the project Sixth Sense Theatre, a research project on sensory theater and the inclusiveness of blind and visually impaired spectators by the very young Ukrainian artist and researcher Kateryna Lukianenko. The project, supervised by UNIMA International representative Daria Ivanova and in collaboration with SAMPO Festival (Finland) e Summer Puppet Tier (Slovenia) includes the realization, in Ravenna, of a masterclass by Lukianenko herself with the students of the training course for expert operator in the techniques and languages of puppet theater ANIMATERIA, with an outcome open to the public, particularly the visually impaired. In addition, the project includes the translation of Lukianenko's research into Italian and English. The project is a winner of the European call for proposals EFFEA European Fund for Emerging Artists.
The shows for families
Family entertainment activity plays a key role again this year, with diverse programming capable of intercepting all audiences, from the very youngest audience to the full-fledged tout public. Also this year a location fundamental of the festival will be the outdoor spaces: Rocca Brancaleone in Ravenna, Piazza Pertini and the amphitheater of the Municipal Library in Gambettola, Rio Parco Budrio in Longiano and Piazza Vesi in Gatteo will host a schedule of performances with free admission for children and parents. The puppet shows will be a lively testament to the vitality of Italian puppet theater in the area of regional traditions (Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Campania) with companies of various generations representing a unique sector: from the young Milanese company of Valerio Saccà, I Burattini Aldrighi with the mask of Meneghino, to the Grand Puppet Theater Niemen, a historic art family from Vercelli with Gianduja, the Romagna-based Bottega delle Favole-Famiglia Maletti, and again Giorgio Gabrielli, Ivano Rota, Bambabambin e Zanubrio Marionettes. Among the figure shows of innovative and experimental cut, The Company of the Week After with Area52 in Vesi Square in Gatteo.
It will inhabit the streets of downtown Gambettola on Sunday, May 21, the parade Fish Parade, a project making its debut by the Italian-Japanese Studio Ta-daa! by Michele Cafaggi and Izumi Fujiwara with the participation of the G. Pascoli elementary school and the "City of Gambettola" band corps.
A new space for this edition of the Festival will be, thanks to the collaboration with Casa Fellini, the "Petit Cabaret" chapiteau that will host shows and parties on the weekend of May 19-21 including a party dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Fulesta Sergio Diotti and the very young Komorebi Collective by Erika Salamone with the family show Happy B-Day to Me.
A key part of the family programming will also take place indoors, at the Gambettola Municipal Theater, the Artificerie Almagià and the Teatro Rasi in Ravenna, with at least one afternoon performance each day from May 21 to 27 and some evening performances. Hosted by some of the most important Italian figure companies for the new generations, on stage with long-running shows as well as new productions; among them, we highlight the Umbrian Fontemaggiore with the new production by Marco Lucci and Gigio Brunello, Cracrà Punk; the young Rebelot Grocery with the shadow theater and theater-on-black show Dear Wolf; Ravenna Teatro/Drammatico Vegetale, fundamental partners and interlocutors of the Festival with the remounting of the historic Journey by Plane; Teatro Gioco Vita with the new production A Little Further; the Sardinian Is Mascareddas with the new Mrs. Rossetta, a retelling of the timeless Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale; the Vladimiro Strinati Company with the new show The Iron Mask; Dragon Theater with its show cult which now boasts more than 1,500 performances worldwide, Pinocchio; Maestro Bruno Leone and the young OfficinaCommedia for a morning entirely dedicated to the world's most famous Italian character: Pulcinella
Also of note are two appointments truly for everyone and of great importance to the Festival: the first with the historic Compagnia Marionettistica Carlo Colla & Figli, Italy's leading representative of the string puppet tradition, guest in Ravenna after a tour at the Monte Carlo Opera House and departing for Salzburg with the show Wooden Heads, from an idea of the great master Eugenio Monti Colla; and, another guest dear to the Festival and the art world, Mimmo Cuticchio and the Associazione Figli d'Arte Cuticchio with the performance of Puppet Opera. The Madness of Orlando. Or rather, the marvelous journey of Astolfo to the moon. based on ancient canovacci. Two companies that, together with the hostess Dragon Theater and other notable guests such as Teatro Gioco Vita, Bruno Leone and the company Niemen, bear witness in the Festival program to both the best Italian tradition and historical experimentation in the field of figure theater.
The shows for schools
Some appointments of the festival, in matinees, will be reserved for school audiences in Ravenna, Gambettola and Longiano: this is the case of the All'InCirco, which will meet the kindergartens of Longiano with Stories Hanging by a Thread; by Drogheria Rebelot; by Ravenna Teatro/Drammatico Vegetale; by Vladimiro Strinati Company; by Ubu Prize-winning playwright, set and costume designer Emanuela Dall'Aglio with Once upon a time. The Fairy Tale Museum and others. The festival will also host the Parma-based Hypnotic Medical Theater by Patrizio Dall'Argine with To Take Away, an unpublished project dedicated to high school students.
The shows for adults
Among the prerogatives of the Festival Arrivano dal Mare! is to support a Figure Theater that is not only dedicated to children's theater or family audiences, but that knows how to make itself a language and theatrical medium for adolescent and adult audiences as well. In this sense, there are several events that the Festival will host, in the evening, at the Artificerie Almagià and Teatro Rasi in Ravenna and the Municipal Theater in Gambettola, including several new productions. This is the case of the Venetians Paolo Papparotto and L'Aprisogni, with the show Pantalone Memento Mori. To the adult audience will also be dedicated the show Plastic Heroes by Israeli Ariel Doron and the three events that intercept the most contemporary forms of research in the field of figure theater: the Roman group Unterwasser with its latest show Untold; the internationally renowned artist Marta Cuscunà, who will present her new project Medium, e Hombre Collective, with the new production At Arms. Three groups that are young but have already managed to carve out an important space for themselves in Italian contemporary theater.
Finally, it is worth noting the preview of. Tragic Drone: a flight on the Oresteia from Aeschylus to Pasolini, a multimedia theater project curated by the renowned Jester Theater, which will be premiered at the Ravenna Planetarium.
The Festival - The Exhibitions and Meetings
Once again this year the program of performances will be accompanied by parallel programming of meetings and the staging of four exhibitions.
At Artists' Station in Gambettola will be set up for the entire period of the festival, the exhibitions Puppet, strings, sticks, a collection of materials from the Zanella/Pasqualini collection from Italy's most important art families of puppeteers, marionette players and puppeteers, and The Emilia-Romagna of Puppets: Fagiolino and Sandrone, an exhibition curated by ReTeFì - Network of Figure Theater Museums of Emilia-Romagna that tells the story of the two undisputed protagonists of Emilia-Romagna puppetry with a selection of pieces from the network's eight museums.
On the streets of Gambettola, however, in the store windows it will be possible to "visit" the exhibition Puppets in the window, curated by Gianluca Palma.
Finally, it will be set up at the MAR Art Museum of the City of Ravenna from May 25 to 27, the interactive virtual reality exhibition Puppets 4.0 - Museum without walls, an innovative all-digital exhibition experience on the world of figure theater curated by German Annette Dabs and Mareike Gaubitz.
In Ravenna, the venue for meetings and visits will be the Museum La casa delle Marionette, which houses the Monticelli Collection and from 2021 is part of the National Museum System and from 2020 coordinator of ReTeFì. Meetings will include the panel discussion. Puppets heritage of UNESCO., organized by UNIMA Italy; the presentations of the books Orcs, Anthropophagi and Butchers. Miscellaneous Stories for Juicy Children by Alfonso Cipolla, The Golden Poet. The grand imaginary theater of Giuliano Scabia by Massimo Marino e Le guarattelle, by Bruno Leone e, in collaboration with Writing Festival, The Dark Stone by Marco Balliani.
The artistic and organizational direction of the Festival is by Teatro del Drago/Famiglia d'Arte Monticelli. The Festival is held with the support of the culture departments of the municipalities of Ravenna, Gambettola, Longiano and Gatteo, the Emilia-Romagna Region, and the MIC Ministry of Culture. It is held in collaboration with Ravenna Teatro, Rete di Associazioni Almagià, Istituzione Biblioteca Classense, MAR Museo d'Arte della Città di Ravenna, Il Planetario di Ravenna, Akâmì, CittAttiva, Casa delle Culture, ScrittuRa Festival, Ve.Ra - La Velostazione di Ravenna, Ravenna Port Authority, Ravenna Port Cooperative, Associazione Circuiti Dinamici, Casa Fellini Centro di residenza per il Teatro, il Cinema e le Arti Circensi, P.A.C. Polo Artistico CreAttivo - Ex Macello Gambettola, Associazione La Casa delle Marionette, ReTeFì. Under the patronage of UNIMA Italia, ATF/Agis, Italiafestival.
Information
The program details of the festival and all updates are available at www.arrivanodalmare.it and on the Facebook and Instagram pages @festivalarrivanodalmare. Information and reservations by phone at 392 6664211 (also whatsapp) or by e-mail at prenotazione@teatrodeldrago.it.
Sales online at www.arrivanodalmare.it
Tickets performances - Full €7 to €15, reduced €5 (under30, students, over 65), €20 family ticket (2 adults + 2 children), third child €1, free disabled and accompanying persons
Press Office festivalarrivanodalmare@gmail.com