Artists

NATURE OF THEATRES #25

Performing Arts Festival

TOUCHING 2018-2020

NDT 2020 > POSTPONED TO 2021

EFFORT | ALL WOMEN

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Maria Federica Maestri_Francesco Pititt0 | Lenz Foundation

Büchner, Hölderlin, Lenz, Kleist, Rilke, Dostoevsky, Mayakovsky, Shakespeare, Goethe, Grimm, Andersen, Calderón de la Barca, Genet, Lorca, Bacchini, Ovidio, Virgilio, Manzoni, d'Annunzio: these are the authors that marked Lenz’s monographic and long-standing projects, starting back in 1985.
The recent projects of contemporary creative performance are the result of an in-depth artistic resarch into visual, filmic, spatial, dramathurgical and auditory arts. In a convergent aesthetic between interpretative loyalty to the script, visual radicality in filmic creation, and originality in conceptual extremism with artistic installations, Lenz’s work rewrites the philosophical tensions and aesthetic unease of the contemporary into a visionary language.
Francesco Pititto is in charge of the translation, dramathurgical reformation, and treatment of images, which is also addressed alongisde Maria Federica Maestri. The scenery and costumes are made by Maria Federica Maestri, noted by critics for her work on the “dramathurgy of matter”, and for her system of visual signs that constitute her personal “design-acted”. Andrea Azzali creates original music; an experimental musician who focuses on electronic composition, he’s also a resident artist and teacher of sound design. Lenz expresses forms of art that are recognized as some of the most original and rigorous in Italian and European theatrical research.
Their works are characterized by an unstoppable inquiry into contemporary language.

Alina Marazzi

Director of documentaries, films and theater, at the center of her work are female subjectivity and images of memory. One hour only I would like you is her first film followed by Per Semper, We also want roses, Everything is about you, Borders. For the theater she creates the video dramaturgy of Il Sogno di una cosa and the multimedia direction of Hayè, the words at night, contemporary operas by Mauro Montalbetti.

Mariangela Gualtieri | Valdoca Theatre

Mariangela Gualtieri was born in Cesena, in the Romagna region of Italy. She holds a degree in Architecture from the IUAV University of Venice. In 1983, with director Cesare Ronconi, she co-founded the Teatro Valdoca as the company’s playwright. Since her beginnings she has given special care to the oral delivery of poetry, in full awareness of the technical aspects of voice amplification and of the alliance between verse and live music.

Among her publications are Ancestor (Crocetti, Milano 1992), Central fire (Giulio Einaudi, Torino 2003), Dustless, weightless (Giulio Einaudi, Torino 2006), Sermon to the cubs of my kind (L'arboreto Editore, Mondaino 2006), Landscape with Broken Brother (book and DVD, Luca Sossella Publisher, Roma 2007), Beast of joy (Giulio Einaudi, Torino 2010), Cain (Giulio Einaudi, Torino 2011), Sermon to the cubs of my kind with audio CD (Valdoca Ed., Cesena 2012), A Seneghe. Mariangela Gualtieri/Guido Guidi (Perda Sonadora Printers, 2012), The young words (Einaudi, 2015), Voices of blue darkness (Press 2009 Ed., 2016), Beast of Joy. Selected poems (Chelsea Editions, New York, 2018, tr. A. Molino and C. Viti), When I wasn't dying (Einaudi, 2019). With Cesare Ronconi and Lorella Barlaam, she has co-authored Teatro Valdoca’s Album of Oaths/Tablets of Oaths (Any, 2019).

Antonella Oggiano_Alessandro Bedosti_Maria Federica Gesù

Born in 1971, since 2001 Antonella Oggiano attended several courses of theatre, contact-dance and clowning. She works in Bologna as an actress with Gruppo San Vitale (“Earth frees everyone” – 2009, “The rhythm of the earth” – 2010, “Lily Kasprag” – 2011, “Sounds between heaven and earth” – 2011 e “The delusional wise man” – 2013) and Compagnia Vi-Kap (“Angeli” – 1999, “Fallen” – 2008, “XXH” – 2009 ).

Alessandro Bedosti is an actor, dancer and performer based in Bologna. Since early ’90s he collaborated with some important italian artists (Michele Abbondanza, Antonella Bertoni, Monica Francia, Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio, Claudia Castellucci) and had some experiences abroad. In the last years he started to create his own works (“Without title” – 2009, “When we see your dance?” – 2010, “Please open the curtains” – 2012, “The game” – 2014, “You are full of despair” with Teatro delle Moirai – 2016, “The game – with Antonella” recovery – 2019, “E’ It's also nice not to be there” video installation – 2019).

Maria Federica Gesù is a classical and contemporary dancer. She was an interpreter for the Teatro Valdoca. She worked as a dance teacher in kindergartens and elementary schools. She has edited writings and publications on dance, theater and cinema.

Antonella Bertoni | Abbondanza/Bertoni Company

Dancer and choreographer, a protagonist on the Italian dance scene since the early 1990s. Born in Rome where she started her artistic education, she later moved to Paris in 1987 and worked with Carolyn Carlson (1988-1993) where she met up with her future partner in her artistic career, Michele Abbondanza. Together with Abbondanza she founded the “Compagnia Abbondanza Bertoni”in 1995, now renowned as one of the most prolific artistic companies in Italy. As well as creating productions, the company has also created and followed research and teaching in contemporary dance theatre. Among awards: the Danza&Danza 1996 award for “best performer”, Eti-Stregagatto ’97/98 award with Childhood novel and Danza&Danza2017 award for Best Italian Production of the Year with Death and the Maiden. As guest choreographer she created Sons of Adam in 2000 for the Aterballetto company and Goodbye goodbye (2011) and Ceremonial (2012) for the Opera Theater of Rome. She took part in Bernado Bertolucci’s film Stealing Beauty in 1995 and was among the protagonists in the chorepgraphy for the TV show Come Away With Me by Fabio Fazio and Roberto Saviano (RAI3, 2010). In 2015 Abbondanza Bertoni A dance film was broadcast on RAI5, produced by RAI Cultura and directed by Felice Cappa. She has created and performed in over thirty productions. Among these her solo Try, the I Hurt the Other project which saw the trilogy based on Greek tragedy ( Alcesti, Medea, Polis), the two-year project for twelve dancers called “La Densità dell’umano” ( The mass and Free-form). Also the “Biologico” project seeing her perform with special performers characterised by special needs and characteristics: being physical in the case of The sheep smokers and The lump or being biological in the case of Mother Scene in which she performed with her 80 year old mother. She worked alongside Michele Abbondanza in the creation of his first solo work I Dream and she returned on stage once again in 2016 for The Orbs, a quintet investigating the vices and weaknesses in human nature. She has done the choreography and composition of Death and the girl and Erectus as well as that of Plastic Dances Remix, which revisited the historical performance of 1918 by Fortunato Depero, Clown Time, musical theater show, winner of Fringe, II Edition/ Haydn Foundation Hyena. She founded and has brought to life the P I C C O L A Compagnia Abbondanza/Bertoni, an ambitious project involving a group of child performers, leading to stage performances: The Dance of Here, a production performed by 7 children (aged 7-10) for an adult theatre audience (Rovereto, February 2012), Third Generation, last chapter of the production Duel, inspired by the Book of Genesis (2014). 2015 saw Sequences for the Future which was the result of an artistic, site-specific residence with children as part of the project called Schiudere within the Festival Pergine Open Show. Since 2008 she has run School of Action, a project dedicated to the teaching and training of both adults and children, held in Theater at the Cartiera in Rovereto, Trentino where the company is in residence.

Stefania ?Alos Pedretti

(queer-pagan-doom-avant-metal)
From 1999 to 2006 he lives in Milan, from September 2006 to June 2011 he lives in Berlin, now he lives in Italy in Ravenna. Musician and experimental performer, since 2003, with the birth of his solo project “Alos”, he began to combine these two disciplines to create performances/shows in which live music is a fundamental element. His work transcends the boundaries between the performing arts, integrating experimental music, performance, improvisation and video/art and making the audience active through the stimulation of the six senses. At the foundation of all her performative actions there is the female figure whose role is critically explored in history and contemporary society. Musician and performer since 1998 she is a member of Alos and OvO and of the historical Allun. With more than a thousand concerts to her credit (5 albums like Alos and 9 albums like OvO) she has played in Italy, Europe, USA, Canada, Russia, China, Vietnam, Mexico and Israel. In 2015 and 2016 he collaborated, as musician and Music Producer, with the Swedish theatre director Markus Ohrn in the project Azdora. From 2017 to 2019 she collaborated with Santarcangelo Festival, historical Italian festival of contemporary theater, as musical curator with Francesca Morello. Articles and reviews on his various musical projects have appeared on XL di Repubblica, The Friday of the Republic, Rolling Stone, Pig, Label, Exibart, Activa, Blow Up, Noise, Alias, The Wire, Elegy, XXD, on all major Italian and foreign music publications. His illustrations and drawings have been published on several Italian and foreign magazines including Zero2, Acid Juice,Poisons, Versoger's.

Doris Uhlich

Doris Uhlich has developed her own projects since 2006. The choreographer’s work frequently focuses on examining everyday gestures but also artificial ones, such as the strict code of movement of classical ballet in GREAT (2008) and Come Back (2012). All her performances are investigations into beauty ideals and standards of body image. Since her performance more than naked (2013), Doris Uhlich has also been working on the depiction of nudity free from ideology and provocation. Music – particularly electronic dance music, from new wave to techno – plays an important part in her explorations. The production Every Body Electric, which premiered at Tanzquartier Wien in 2018, was invited to the Venice Dance Biennale and to the Bienal Sesc de Dança in São Paulo in 2019. This was followed by her solo TANK at ImPulsTanz 2019, which will also be shown in a site-specific version at Naturhistorisches Museum Vienna in February 2021.

Cristina Kristal Rizzo

Dance maker, she has been active on the contemporary dance scene since the early 1990s. She was one of the founders of the Kinkaleri dance company and with them she created many choreographies, presented them internationally and received many awards. Since 2008 she has begun developing her own choreographies and directing her focus on theoretical reflections of strong dynamic impact. She is currently one of the main choreographers in Italy and is invited to the main festivals of the new contemporary dance scene. She works intensely on productions and at the same time gives lectures, runs workshops and outlines experimental proposals.
As a resident choreographer she has worked for the major opera theatres, and Italian and foreign institutions, such as the Teatro Comunale Firenze -Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Aterballetto, Tuscan Ballet, LAC Lugano, MACRO Roma, MUSEION Bolzano and Pecci Prato Museum.

Claudia Sorace | Muta Imago

Muta Imago is a theatre company and an artistic research project born in Rome in 2006. It is led by Claudia Sorace, director and Riccardo Fazi, playwright and sound designer. It is composed by all the people who have been, are and will be involved in the realization of the works. Muta Imago is constantly searching for forms and stories that relate the sphere of imagination with that of the present, human, political and social reality, investigating the relationship between the human being and his time. The company’s shows have been hosted and co-produced for years by the most important national and international festivals, including Romaeuropa Festival, Naples Theater Festival Italy, Vie Scena Contemporanea Festival, Biennial Theater, Santarcangelo International Theater Festival in the Square, Inteatro Festival, Bassano Opera Festival, Spring of Theatres, Biennial of Young Artists of Europe and the Mediterranean; and in several international festivals including Premiéres Festival (Strasbourg), Festival International des Brigittines (Brussels), City Theater (Paris), Festival Cyl (Salamanca), Fadjr Festival (Tehran), Bipod Festival (Beirut), Clipa Aduma Festival (Tel Aviv), Unidram Festival (Potsdam), Temps d’Images (Cluj-Napoca, Budapest), Teatro/Theater: Italian Theater Autumn (Berlin), Escrita Na Pasaigem (Evora), Na Strastnom (Moscow), Sirens Festival (Vilnius), Towards Festival (Skopje), Festival Notafee (Viljandi). With his latest productions, including Combat (2018), Far from here (2018), Warrior Songs (2017) Muta Imago has met the world of musical theatre, collaborating with The Theaters of Reggio Emilia, Romaeuropa Festival, the Spoleto Experimental Opera Season, the Sagra Musicale Malatestiana and the Muziektheater Transparant in Antwerp. In addition to the production of the shows, Muta Imago has an intense teaching and training activity. In 2009 the company won the Ubu Special Prize, the ANCT Critics’ Prize and the DE.MO./Movin’UP Prize. In the same year Claudia Sorace won the Youth Knighthood Award of the Province of Rome and the Valeria Moriconi International Award as “Futuro della scene”; in 2011 she won the prize for best director and best show at the XXIX Fadjr Festival in Tehran. In 2013 the project Art You Lost? was a finalist at the Ubu Awards. Since 2018 the company has been funded by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism as a research and innovation theatre production company. During 2020, Muta Imago will be working on the new production Sonoran Desert, which will make its debut at the Festival Aperto di Reggio Emilia in October 2020 and then repeat at the Romaeuropa Festival and within the season of the Teatro di Roma in November 2020. At the same time it will propose to the public some unpublished formats developed specifically for the residency at the Teatro di Roma – Indian Ocean: among them Radio India, in collaboration with the other resident companies and Dramaturgical Clinics, a project of “dramaturgical sharing” presented for the first time in Italy, which includes a week of meetings and comparisons between six international dramaturg. In 2020 Muta Imago is a resident artist of the Teatro di Roma, within the project Indian Ocean. In 2020 Claudia Sorace, together with Francesca Macrì, will take care of the direction and artistic coordination of the Rome Festival.

Chiara Guidi | Company
Founder – with Romeo and Claudia Castellucci, and with Paolo Guidi – of the Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio, today Society, Chiara Guidi develops a personal research on the voice as a dramaturgical key to open sound and sense of a text by collaborating with musicians such as Scott Gibbons, Michele Rabbia, Daniel Roccato, Francesco Guerri, Giuseppe Ielasi. This research develops its own technique both in productions for an adult audience and in a specific conception of children’s art theater, which boasts historical performances such as Buchettino, by Charles Perrault. Among the most recent works: Oedipus king of Sophocles. Exercise of memory for 4 female voices and The Deep Kingdom. Why are you here?, dramatic reading that sees her on stage with Claudia Castellucci, author of the text; in addition to The land of earthworms. A tragedy for children (from Alcesti by Euripides), Japanese fairy tales and Oedipus. A fairy tale of magic (the latter directed with Vito Matera). Recently released the volCreator of the Màntica and Puerilia observatories at Teatro Comandini in Cesena, she is also the author of the volumes: Buchettino, with drawings by Simone Massi, Unripe Ear (2014), The voice in a forest of invisible images (At night, 2017) and, with Lucia Amara, Children's theatre. Scenic art before the eyes of a child (Sossella publisher, 2019). Chiara Guidi received, among others, a Special Ubu Award in 2013, the The Foreigner Award in 2016 and the Eolo Award 2020 Gratitude.

Fiorella Iacono

Fiorella Iacono lives in Modena. She graduated from the University of Bologna with a thesis on William Burroughs. She worked at Cesare Leonardi’s architecture studio for the cataloging of the photographs of the Photographic Atlas of the Modena Cathedral (Panini, 1985). She has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions. She has collaborated since 2016 with Lenz Fondazione di Parma as curator of the image photographic for site-specific creations. Focal point of his research is the vision of existential landscapes where Nature manifests itself without cognitive preconceptions. In the most recent works there is the idea of ​​establishing a story of objects also through the sequentiality of the images and the objectivity of the vision. In 2019 she exhibited Autodafé in Verona (Border Arsenali Photo) and Meditations in Rome (Space The Green Room). In 2020 she exhibited Machines-Rivers-States of Nature (Ca.Os Modena space).

Francesca Ruggerini | Lenz Foundation_Artist in residence

Francesca Ruggerini approached the study of contemporary dance during her adolescence, intensively attending courses under the guidance of several teachers, immediately beginning to integrate the research by participating in seminars with many Italian and international masters. She also approaches and deepens her knowledge of different techniques such as floorwork, contact improvisation, Release Technique, dance theatre, Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais (currently enrolled in the professional training course at Self Wise Feldenkrais in Paris), Pilates, GYROKINESIS® (of which she becomes certified trainer in 2011). She began working in 2004 as a mime dancer for numerous opera productions in Italy and abroad, the latest of which, since 2013, under the direction of Romeo Castellucci with whom she is engaged every year in new productions. She dances as freelance for several companies with various choreographers including Monica Casadei (Artemis danza), Jean Guillaume Weiss (Dance Theater Luxembourg), Cindy VanAcker (Cie Greffe). Theatre of Objects actress since 2017, active in the international tour with the show “Pop Up” of the company I Sacchi di Sandbags, production Teatro delle Briciole (PR). In 2018 starts the first research project “Uni Vers Elle”, produced by Lenz Foundation, with the support of C&C Company and Le Facteur. Another project started in 2018 sees her collaborating with the dancer/author Giovanna Rovedo in the research “Playing the Landscape”, a path of dance/exploration/division in mountain places. She is currently engaged in Alessandro Carboni’s new production “Context” which will debut at Kilowatt Festival in July 2021. She is currently engaged in a two-year project of artistic and productive creation with Lenz Foundazione.