There are evenings in which theater doesn’t just tell stories, but manages to create bonds, spark reflections and make an entire community feel part of something special. This is what happened on Saturday 24 October at the Cinema Teatro Moderno in Vibo Valentia, where the fourth edition of the National Competition “Lo Strappo nel Cielo di Carta”, organized by the La Ribalta APS association, recorded great success with audiences and participation. An attentive and warm room, artists arriving from different parts of Italy, shared emotions and applause accompanied an event which, year after year, consolidates its identity and its role in the national theater panorama.
Vibo Valentia was transformed, for one evening, into a crossroads of stories, languages and artistic sensibilities, welcoming protagonists from nine regions: Liguria, Calabria, Abruzzo, Puglia, Tuscany, Lazio, Campania, Emilia-Romagna and Sardinia. A meeting between territories and generations, in the name of a theater capable of questioning, exciting and bringing people together. «Seeing young artists come from so far away to share our stage and, above all, finding a city ready to welcome them with such enthusiasm is an immense satisfaction. This competition was born from the desire to create opportunities, give space to talent and demonstrate that cultural projects capable of speaking to the whole of Italy can also start from our territory”, is one of the comments proposed by Giusi Fanelli, president of La Ribalta APS.
The stage of emotions and talent
At the center of the evening were the interpretations of the finalists, who gave life to a theatrical journey full of intensity, originality and food for thought. For the Unpublished Themed Monologues section, inspired this year by “What if it had been me? The balance”, Giovanni Berretta di Sarzana (La Spezia) took turns on stage with “Prolet”; Giulia Fusca from Vibo Valentia with “Nationalist Equilibrium”, text by Aurelio Aceto from Chieti; Antonio Parisi from Catanzaro with “Sul filo dell’altro”, written by Michele Petullà from Vibo Valentia; and Maurizio Sarubbi from Bari with “Mimmo… la luna”. The Free Theme Theatrical Shorts section featured “Il viaggio”, performed by Giulia Romolini, Aurora Fasano and Maurizio Speciale from Fiesole (Florence), with a text by Maria Carmela Mugnano from Rome, and “Bludeep”, by Milena Aldini from Agropoli (Salerno), with Aldini herself, Beatrice Chiapelli from Pavullo nel Frignano (Modena) and Elisa Luciano from Sassari. The performances were evaluated by a highly prestigious jury composed of Corinne Clery, Antonella Cioli, Giampiero Cicciò, Gianfranco Valenti and Marco Falaguasta, whose presence further enhanced an event that focuses on artistic quality and the comparison between different theatrical experiences. The participation of the institutions, represented by the mayor Enzo Romeo, the councilor for Culture Stefano Soriano and the regional councilor, Hon. Vito Pitaro, also underlines the cultural value of the initiative.
When theater meets solidarity
But it was not just the interpretations and artistic recognition that made this edition particularly significant. Among the most heartfelt moments, the presence in the room of a delegation of hauliers, representatives of a category that is going through a period of difficulty. A participation with a strong symbolic value, which brought a message of closeness, attention and solidarity to the theatre. Because theatre, when it manages to dialogue with reality, goes beyond the confines of the stage and becomes a space in which even difficulties, hopes and daily battles can find a hearing.
The protagonists of the awards
The winner for the Unpublished Themed Monologues section was Giovanni Berretta, from Sarzana (La Spezia), with “Prolet”, which also won the awards for best actor and best director. For the Free Theme Theatrical Shorts section, the victory went to “Blue Deep”, with Milena Aldini from Agropoli (Salerno), Beatrice Chiapelli from Pavullo nel Frignano (Modena) and Elisa Luciano from Sassari. The latter also won the award for best actress. The La Ribalta Prize was awarded to Antonio Parisi from Catanzaro for “Sul filo dell’altro”, based on a text by Michele Petulla from Vibo Valentia, while the special mention for the text went to Nicola Carullo. Awards that celebrate not only the talent of the performers, but also the work of writing, research and creativity that makes theater a language that is always alive and capable of renewing itself.
Behind the curtain, the strength of a team
The success of an event of this magnitude also arises from what the public does not always see: the work, dedication and enthusiasm of many people who share a project. Special thanks go to the Calabria Region, whose support made the event possible. A special thought is addressed to the children of the La Ribalta APS theater laboratory, who actively participated in the organization, taking care of welcoming guests and providing assistance on stage. Young people who have made their time, energy and passion available, demonstrating how the theatrical experience is also a path of responsibility, collaboration and personal growth, as well as to the members of La Ribalta: Rosario Gattuso, Emilio Stagliano, Giusi Cicciò, Antono Fortuna, Nico Barbuto, Antonio Gattuso, Pietro Comito, Lele De Fina, Maria Chiara Crupi, Anna Vardè, Anna Portaro, Eleonora Rombolà and Giusi Fanelli, who in the choir unanimously declare «Our greatest joy is not only having created a beautiful evening of theatre, but having seen a Vibo that is alive, involved, capable of getting excited and recognizing itself in a cultural project. We will continue to work with the same passion, because we believe that this city has all the potential to be a protagonist in national initiatives. Culture needs courage, continuity and people who believe in it. And this evening showed us, once again, that it’s worth it.” Special thanks also to the artist Rocco Elia, author of the awards created for the artists and members of the jury, works that added a touch of creativity and further symbolic value to the awards. Also valuable is the contribution of the sponsors, including Colacchio Filippo Srl, who have chosen to support an initiative capable of promoting culture, talent and valorisation of the territory. And finally, the heartfelt thanks go to the public, who with their presence, warmth and participation gave meaning to the entire event.
A city that chooses culture
The fourth edition of “Lo Strappo nel Cielo di Carta” therefore ends with a balance full of satisfactions, but above all with the awareness of having consolidated a project that continues to grow and create connections between artists, territories and communities. The curtain closes, but something remains that goes far beyond applause: the strength of a theater that unites, of a community that participates and of a city that, through culture, knows how to look far ahead. And Vibo Valentia, once again, has shown that it wants to be a protagonist.