L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 8 THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021 L'Italo-Americano F rom a distance, the 13 th century t o w e r s e e m s t o ride the hilltop alone. A ruin or p e r h a p s a n i n v i t a t i o n t o more, its mystery is finally r e v e a l e d w h e n a c y p r e s s lined road eases to an end. A striking 13 th century portal waits, beckoning one to step i n s i d e t h i s p i c t u r e s q u e , sleepy Tuscan village. W e l c o m e t o Monticchiello. If a guide- b o o k b r o u g h t y o u h e r e , expectations probably aren't great. A few sentences might cover its notable traits of "well preserved, charming" with a sweeping view of the spectacular Tuscan valley below. No souvenir shops hock cheap wares, no famous w o r k s o f a r t b r i n g t h e c r o w d s . A n a l m o s t e e r i e q u i e t i s p u n c t u a t e d o n l y occasionally by contentious voices of time-worn gents as they dissect the world's prob- lems, or perhaps a screech from a feline domestic dis- pute. By all accounts, it's a beautiful but fading village like so many others sprinkled across the hilltops of the Tuscan dreamscape of the Val d'Orcia. What isn't apparent to the a v e r a g e d a y - t r i p p e r i s Monticchiello's 54-year-old theatrical tradition, an artful self-disclosure of its collec- tive community soul. It's called Teatro Povero di Monticchiello, the yearly summer spettacolo (play) t h a t r e a c h e s l i g h t y e a r s beyond mindless entertain- ment and floods the stage w i t h t h e a n g s t - o f - t h e - moment topic of the tiny town. "The art of a people is a true mirror to their minds." ~ Jawaharlal Nehru The turbulent years of the 1960s brought unsettling times to the quiet agrarian villages of Tuscany. Based on a government decree, the mezzadria way of life – f a r m e r s p r o d u c i n g f o r w e a l t h y l a n d o w n e r s a n d sharing the bounty – was ordered disbanded. What had been a generally stable, albeit lop-sided, economic structure dissolved. The vil- lage's young adults bled away quickly in search of work elsewhere as the rhythms of farm life began to evaporate. T r a d i t i o n s a n d c u l t u r e s e e m e d i n j e o p a r d y ; t h e entire identity of the commu- nity was at stake. The Montechiellesi have a h i s t o r y o f s t a n d i n g t h e i r ground. It was this frame of mind that became the guide i n a d d r e s s i n g t h e c r i s i s affecting their life and liveli- hoods. Turmoil, fear, resis- tance, the unknown…these experiences fuel our need to express our deepest feelings as a pathway to understand- i n g , a n d M o n t i c c h i e l l o ' s small band of citizens decid- ed this was their ploy. Their story had to be told, their resistance and perseverance played out in open honesty as a way to restructure sur- vival. "You use a glass mir- ror to see your face; you use works of art to see y o u r s o u l . " ~ G e o r g e Bernard Shaw T e a t r o P o v e r o w a s born; it would be the mecha- n i s m t h e M o n t e c h i e l l e s i would use to resist, to make sense of their real-life plot. Out of this, a virtual way of life was also born. Rather t h a n a c o m m u n i t y p l a y dependent upon a core of decision makers and a troupe of auditioned actors, the town itself became the cre- ators, as well as the subject. Townspeople became the players on the stage, portray- ing not a fictional character, but themselves…their voices a n d m e s s a g e t h e i r o w n . Monticchiello and her people became a direct reflection of themselves, a mirror image reflected on a small wooden stage in a quaint piazza for all the world to see. Each January since 1967, the town amasses to begin the creative process of the coming summer's produc- tion. Any and all are invited to participate, and most do, even a virile few who were participants in the first pro- duction. Heated discussions e n s u e ; i d e a s a r e k i c k e d about, some deflected like a blocked soccer ball, others ruminated over and picked apart. Eventually, a topic is chosen, and always it is an i s s u e s t a r i n g d o w n t h e throats of the Montechiellesi. There is no formal train- ing, although in earlier years advice was sought from a few i n t e r e s t e d p r o f e s s i o n a l s . Actors generally play them- selves, sharpening their act- ing skills year by year. In the process, many also refine their personal reality, finding better versions of themselves a n d t h e i r o w n s t o r i e s . Townsfolk take on the roles of set builders, costumers, and all other job descriptions necessary to pull off a live production; the idea of com- munity theatre rises to an almost metaphysical level. The annual production is Monticchiello's heartbeat for 7 months of every year. An average of 20 consecutive shows grace the piazza each July and August, drawing over 4,000 visitors to the vil- lage. As farmer and produc- tion sound engineer Ricardo Severini related in a New York Times interview, "It's a powerful aggregation tool…" I t w a s a s e r e n d i p i t o u s event in 2012 that brought Teatro Povero to the world's attention. Two young film- makers on a honeymoon trip f o l l o w e d t h e g u i d e b o o k ' s advice. Planning no more than a mid-day stroll through Monticchiello, a peek inside a cracked door led them to Andrea Cresti, a local artist and now-retired instructor… and backbone of the theatre. Conversation ensued; Jeff Malmberg and Chris Shellen returned to Monticchiello for 6 months, living with and d o c u m e n t i n g t h e T e a t r o Povero process from start to finish. Cresti, the director of the productions from 1981 to very recently, is the anchor point of this documentary, Spettacolo (2017). His lion- esque mane of wild hair sur- rounds a pensive, brooding f a c e , y e t h i s p a s s i o n f o r Teatro Povero, for his town, is solid and irreputable. The film is framed by seasons, t a k i n g u s f r o m w i n t e r ' s embryonic beginnings to full culmination in the summer as we fret and cheer along- s i d e t h e v i l l a g e r s s o poignantly introduced to us by Malmberg and Shellen. Fascinating looks at previous years' productions also intro- duce us to the many chal- l e n g e s a n d t r a u m a s Monticchiello has survived. Cresti, along with a few others, is also responsible for formally organizing the the- atre and its processes. The village now hosts an array of entities such as an internet café and programs to assist t h e e l d e r l y o r n e e d y a s a result of the Cooperative of the Teatro Povero of Monticchiello, all housed in a former grain storage barn off the piazza. Recent initiatives include a B&B, bicycle rentals, the Bronzone Tavern, and tour packages for the surrounding area. Grasping for survival those 54 years ago has been fruitful for Monticchiello. "A little like this commu- nity, the theatre has always been on the verge of extinc- tion." Andrea Cresti's words in a 2017 interview ring true today. Cuts in government funding, apathy amongst the youngest citizens, village elders exiting the world stage i n g r e a t e r n u m b e r s e a c h year, and of course, dealing with a pandemic – all have taken a swipe at the theatre's e x i s t e n c e . W h e t h e r t h e a u t o d r a m m a o f Monticchiello, the theatrical version of an autobiography, continues in ensuing years is unknown. What is known is t h e M o n t e c h i e l l e s i s t a n d their ground, they survive. The local theater group the Teatro Povero di Monticchiello "il teatro povero", in the small village of Monticchiello in the heart of the Val d'Orcia in Tuscany. Photo courtesy of Christina Shellen/Open Face LLC LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE Teatro Povero di Monticchiello – all the town's a stage for this Tuscan village PAULA REYNOLDS

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