«We at Inda do not rewrite the classics, we do not adapt them. We find them in their original texts, which however we propose in a modern dress, translating them into our Italian today, thanks to the diligence of illustrious antiquities and the passion of the poets, to whom we applaud, and putting them on stage at the service of our imaginary of today, with the help of ultra-contemporary directors and artists, but respectful of the priority of the ancient text”. In the words of Marina Valensisemanaging director, the meaning of the activity that the Foundation of the National Institute of Ancient Drama has been carrying out for 110 years at the Greek Theater of Syracuse.
To celebrate such an important anniversary, Inda is offering Sophocles' Ajax directed by Luca Micheletti from 10 May to 29 June, in the translation by Walter Lapini; Phaedra (crown-bearing Hippolytus) by Euripides, directed by the Scottish director Paul Curran in the translation from the Greek by Nicola Crocetti; Miles Gloriosus by Plautus directed by Leo Muscatoin the translation by Caterina Mordeglia.
But the 59th season of classical performances will be characterized by dance, with the return of Giuliano Peparini with “Horai. The four seasons”, a show of dance, music and poetry which will see the étoile Eleonora Abbagnato on stage and then the long-awaited Gala Roberto Bolle and Friends. Bolle himself chooses the cast and program and, accompanied by his Friends from all over the world, creates a splendid alternation of pas de deux and solos from the classical and contemporary repertoire.
The superintendent was greatly absent, a vacant figure following the resignation last February of Valeria Told, to whom the president of Inda and mayor of Syracuse, Francesco Italia, recognized the merit of having contributed significantly to the construction of the season and some news. When Agamemnon by Aeschylus was performed on 16 April 1914, no one could have ever imagined what Inda would become today which this year, to allow the international public to follow the shows, will introduce a new device which, thanks to artificial intelligence, will allow , through a headset, to follow in simultaneous translation into the language of the spectators.
Sophocles' Ajax (a text performed for the fourth time at the Greek Theater) will open the season. Director Micheletti, for the first time in Syracuse, will also play the role of Ajax. «A tragedy of horror and madness, Ajax is also a powerful meditation on the condition of man struggling with his own destiny, uncertain and often senseless. What destroys the hero is not cowardice but ridicule” explains the director. The following day Phaedra will make her debut (Hippolitus bearer of the crown) by Euripides, directed by the Scot Paul Curran, also for the first time at the Greek Theatre. It is the fifth production of Euripides' text, after the editions of 1936, 1956, 1970 and 2010. «The ancient narrative of Phaedra echoes with surprising relevance in today's context. This timeless story sheds light on contemporary anxieties related to mental health and the dangers resulting from unhealthy and uncontrollable obsessions” explains the director.
World premiere in the history of classical performances, Plautus' Miles Gloriosus, on stage on June 13th directed by Leo Muscato, who returns after last year's success with Prometheus Chained. Muscato chose an all-female cast for this Latin comedy, with Paola Minaccioni in the protagonist role Pirgopolinìce. «We will present a military world – said Muscato – a camp with a contemporary flavor where many things happen but free from the possibility of battle. Only in the theater can we imagine a world where wars don't exist.” Students of the Inda Academy will be involved in all three productions.
«From 22 April throughout the city of Syracuse – explained President Francesco Italia – the historical posters of the INDA will be displayed to transform the streets and squares into an open-air museum and in a figurative journey through the 110 years of history of the Institute through the creative genius of the greatest artists of the twentieth century”.
Great anticipation on 5 and 6 July, for “Horai. The four seasons”, a show on the theme of universal love through the words of the great classics of Greek and Latin poetry translated by Francesco Morosi. «I am honored to be part of this project conceived by Giuliano who, with his genius, reinvented the 4 seasons with music by Vivaldi and adapted it for me» she said Eleonora Abbagnato. On stage 25 artists and 15 students from the Accademia dell'Inda. Among the protagonists also the actor Giuseppe Sartori, who will be the acting voice. “It is the story of the seasons of a love, from the first meeting to the flowering of desire, from the blaze of passion to the chill of disaffection – says Peparini –. A journey that we will take thanks to the music of Vivaldi, Scarlatti and pieces of contemporary music but also through the most exciting pages of ancient poetry, from Aristotle to Catullus, from Apollonius Rhodes to Horace».
The International Festival of Classical Youth Theater is renewed and will see the participation of over two thousand students from all over the world in Palazzolo Acreide from 12 May to 4 June.