L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014 The New Generation of Italian Writers brings "L'Amante Perfetto" to LA He's her husband… she's his wife … the other girl is the lover … but whose lover?! "The Perfect Lover" (L'Amante Perfetto), playing at the Hollywood Fringe Festival this June, brings new meaning to the phrase "all's fair in love and war". Fabulous Dreams Production (FDP) was founded in 2013 to promote Italian culture through theater, film, dance, and music. The company members first met at an international workshop in Los Angeles where they bonded over their shared passion for organic acting with unique, mys- terious, and hilarious characters. Now, FDP is back in LA, funnier than ever! The juxtaposition between protagonist Stefano's successful career life and his catastrophical- ly unstable love life set the comedic tone of "The Perfect Lover". Stefano's desperate and passionate wife Rebecca, the flir- tatious and misplaced lover Carla, and the flamboyant comic relief Lucio (Fabio Zito) play intricate roles that poke humor at modern love life predicaments. "The Perfect Lover" takes place in the disheveled apartment of Carla (Vanina Arias) after a wild night filled with Prosecco and desire. Stefano (Ricky Tursi) and his wife Rebecca (Patrizia Campanile) happen to find them- selves in Carla's apartment, but neither understands why the other is there! Hilarity ensues as the characters guide the audience along their roller coaster of emo- tion and absurd situations. "Cretino", "Porco", "Stai zitto", and "Cucciolotta" are some of the vocabulary words found on the program. Through providing this entertaining list of Italian slang and expressions, Fabulous Dreams Production engages the audience and con- nects them with Italian culture. FDP identifies itself as the new generation of Italian writers who grew up with American movies and the Hollywood dream. During the first performance of "The Perfect Lover", when Neapolitan actress Patrizia Campanile heard the hearty American laughter, she was over- come with joy. It was unreal to her that she was now generating laughter in LA: the very place that had inspired her for so long. "By opening the gates to any- one with a vision," the Hollywood Fringe Festival prides itself on "exhibiting the most diverse and cutting-edge points- of-view the world has to offer." What makes Hollywood Fringe special is its emphasis on free- L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014 www.italoamericano.com 4 dom of expression. Participation is open and completely uncen- sored. "The Perfect Lover" is a per- fect fit for Hollywood Fringe, and thanks to co-producer Matthew Quinn, FDP partici- pates in one the most stimulating and revolutionary cinema envi- ronments in the world. Born and raised in Turin, Fabio Zito is the founder of FDP. He graduated from the Academy "Stabile di Torino", where he began his career in acting. After gaining experience as a theater director and acting coach, he studied screenwriting, directing, and editing at the Holden School in Turin. As an artistic director, he has collaborated with many cultural associations in Turin, Milan, and Rome. Zito is excited to bring his theatrical vision with "fun twists and Italian charm" to LA. He says, "One of the most exciting things for me is that our show is very successful in Italy, and now we can promote Italian culture in Los Angeles. The same humor that people experience in Italy is what people are experiencing here. It's modern Italian humor, and they love it." Most of the Fabulous Dreams Production's work is based on Italian stories, and they are rapid- ly attracting international audi- ences. FDP seeks American pro- ducers and directors that are looking for new sources of inspi- ration, who are enamored with Italy, and want to network with this new generation of Italian writers. They are branching out to film in addition to cinema. FDP also aims to strengthen the bond between Italian and American culture by creating a short film here to bring back to Italy. Lead actor Ricky Tursi states, "Our goal is to bring Americans JANe HusoN closer to Italian culture, especial- ly regarding what is currently going on in Italy. Many Italians still look at life as if it was forty or fifty years ago, and we are the new generation. We want Americans to discover us, and we want Italian-Americans to continue to embrace our cul- ture." Born and raised in Puglia, Tursi developed a strong acting reputation on prestigious stages, such as Teatro Piccolo in Milan and Teatro Antigone in Rome. His trademark is his Italian charm, and he is widely popular in Los Angeles as a comedian. Tursi adds, "Most of the shows of 'Perfect Lover' we do here are in English, but today we switched to Italian because many of the audience members spoke Italian. We want to get more members of the Italian commu- nity in Los Angeles to our show because we can be more sponta- neous and natural. People really have fun here, and they laugh at every joke." This is a must-see show designed by Italians, attended by Italian-Americans and Americans, and treasured by all. Men, women, friends, lovers, all sharing in the precariousness of love life. Patrizia Campanile, Vanina Arias, and Ricky Tursi Patrizia Campanile and Ricky Tursi playing Rebecca and Stefano

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