The theater company ofcultural association “Great Talent” of Palmi (RC), with the patronage of the CNSP (National Center for Pirandellian Studies of Agrigento), and of the Rotary Clubs of Palmi, Gioia Tauro, Nicotera-Medma and Polistena, will stage 13, 14 and 15 December 2024, at the Nicola Antonio Theater Manfroce di Palmi, the theatrical performance “Sceneggiata Pirandelliana”, a theatrical piece including two works by Luigi Pirandello: “The pleasure of honesty” and “The rattle cap”, appropriately revisited by the director of the theater company, Giovanni Parrello (in the Gianni theater ed.), who developed an abbreviated version of the two works written by Luigi Pirandello in 1917, initially published in Sicilian, and subsequently translated into the “official” language.
The theatrical activity of the Great Talent Company, aimed at staging the “Pirandelliana Drama” was born from a cultural identity project, which has as its aim the rediscovery of individuality, in the sense of awareness of one’s own personality, in perfect synchrony with the themes Pirandellian. According to Pirandello, in fact, man does not possess a single immobile and immutable personality, but multiple personalities, through what he calls the “shattering of the Ego”. In short, each individual manifests multiple aspects of their personality based on the interlocutor or the context in which they find themselves: “It’s not enough, Mr. Marquis, you see, we inevitably build ourselves, let me explain: I come in here, and in front of you I become what I have to be, I construct myself, that is, I present myself in a form suited to the role I have to play; and so does she, who receives me. But ultimately, within these constructions of ours, behind the ceremonies and pleasantries, our thoughts remain well hidden, the true ones, the most secret ones, what we truly are; outside of the relationships we want to establish…” (character: Angelo Baldovino – work: The pleasure of honesty – Luigi Pirandello 1917).
We asked Gianni Parrello, who is an actor and director of the Great Talent Company, why he was chosen to do a theatrical performance with Pirandello’s works, and he replied like this: “To the brilliant Italian writer and playwright, admirer of the philosophical thought of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche, the Swedish Academy awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature on 8 December 1934, with the following motivation: “For his daring and ingenious renewal of dramatic and theatrical art”; certainly a new way of writing theatrical texts and conceiving theatre, with a completely original method. The author presents his own “Pirandellian” vision of the world, so much so that he manages to give life to a specific theatrical methodology known as “abolition of the fourth wall” and with it the scenic illusion; Pirandello’s theater dismantles the conventions of traditional theatrical representation, and brings down that imaginary and invisible wall between the stage and the audience”.
Professor Lilli Sgro is also part of the Great Talent Company and began dedicating herself to theater about 40 years ago, at the time when the TUP (Palmese University Theatre) was in Palmi, founded and directed by the late Mons. Rocco Iaria; subsequently together with Gianni Parrello and other young people from Palmi, he attended the Academy of Dramatic Arts which was based in Palmi. We asked Lilli to describe to us the sensations and emotions of playing a Pirandello character: “Whoever loves the theater – she highlighted – cannot help but know and study the works of Luigi Pirandello, and for a theater actor, a professional or amateur, acting Pirandello is incomparable, for the strong emotions you feel while interpreting his characters on stage, which are authentic and truthful, as in the reality of everyday life”.
The president of the Association. Great Talent, Luisa Anastasio, for her part, remarked: “Pirandello is very current, proof of this is that recently with the Film “Eterno visionario” by Michele Placido and in 2022 with the Film “Stranezza”, they have been brought to usability of the general public the events of his private life, I believe that this can increase the interest in attending theatrical performances of Luigi Pirandello’s works, which, seen live in the theater, are very exciting and engaging.”
Finally we listened to the opinions of the lawyer. Domenico Infantino, also an actor in the cast of the “Sceneggiata Pirandelliana”: “my friend Gianni Parrello – he stated – involved me again in theatrical activity, taking me back several years, when we performed on the stage together, with a work by Brandon Thomas, entitled ‘Carlo’s Aunt’. Last summer we staged Sophocles’ Electra at the Parco dei Tauriani, a very successful performance, which was supported and sponsored by the INDA of Syracuse. Now for the ‘Sceneggiata Pirandelliana’ we have received moral patronage from the National Center for Pirandellian Studies of Agrigento and, furthermore, we have received the support of the Rotary Clubs of Palmi, Gioia Tauro, Nicotera-Medma and Polistena; we also await the patronage of local authorities, because we firmly believe in the importance of creating a cultural network, which through the Theater can contribute to developing forms of cooperation useful for the development of the territory”.
Also part of the cast of the “Sceneggiata Pirandelliana” are: Giovanna Zampogna, Laura Antonacci, Lea Sprizzi, Maria Melissari, Roberta Modafferi, Rosalba Tornese, Mimmo Latino and Salvatore Repaci.
So the appointment is on 13, 14 and 15 December 2024, at 8.45 pm at the Nicola Antonio Manfroce Theater in Palmi, to attend the “Pirandelliana Sceneggiata” of the Great Talent Company of Palmi.