L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 10 THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016 L'Italo-Americano A conversation with Laura Caparrotti Artistic Director of Kairos Italy Theatre L aura Caparrotti is an artist, educator, journalist, play- wright, lecturer, consul- tant and Italian dialect coach for Boardwalk Empire, a curator and a panelist for NYSCA, who has been working to spread the Italian culture through theater in New York since 1996. After years of professional theatre in Italy, she relocated to New York, where she has direct- ed and performed in shows at T h e K i t c h e n , T h e F r i n g e F e s t i v a l , T h e W a l t e r R e a d e Theater at Lincoln Center, the Cell, the Flea, and at the Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimò, among other venues. Laura started the Double Theater Experience and was the Assistant to the Director of the Off Broadway production of Eduardo De Filippo's Souls of N a p l e s , f e a t u r i n g J o h n Turturro. She is the world-wide representative of the De Curtis F a m i l y , a n d t h e c u r a t o r of Excerpts of a Prince Named Totò, the official traveling exhi- bition about the Italian iconic actor Totò. She is the Founding Artistic Director of the Italian Theater Company in NY called Kairos Italy Theater. Laura Caparrotti continues working with the goal of spread- ing the Italian culture and culti- vating the knowledge of Italy in the States, and vice versa. In 2013, Laura starred in Scena! Italian Theater Festival NY, the f i r s t A n n u a l I t a l i a n T h e a t e r Festival to take place in all 5 NY B o r o u g h s . L a u r a c o n t i n u e s being an ambassador for Italian language and culture, and she is determined to create a network of artists and educators to spread her love for Italy in the US. Her mission is to create a cultural e x c h a n g e p r o g r a m b e t w e e n Italy, the US and the internation- al community. L a u r a C a p a r r o t t i , h o w many years have you been in New York, and why did you decide to move to Manhattan? I have been here for 20 years. I decided to do a nine months experience in NY in 1996 after c o m i n g f o r a b r i e f s u m m e r school in 93, 94, and 95. I loved NY so much that I needed to stay here… for 9 months that became 20! When did you start the first Italian theater company and in which city? Here in NY. I come from a theater career in Italy and over there with some friends we were already working on having our own group. When I came here, I started to do some Italian the- ater. It was successful and I con- tinued… and now KIT is the Italian theater company in NY (and maybe in the States). That means that we focus only on Italian theater, Italian authors, Italian plays… Italy all the way! Laura, since your produc- tions are bilingual, can you b r i e f l y t e l l m e s o m e o f t h e shows you have produced and who your audience is? To briefly tell is really diffi- cult, let's say that we have pro- duced works by Franca Valeri, P i e r P a o l o P a s o l i n i , D i n o Buzzati, Ennio Flaiano, Alberto B a s s e t t i , a n d s o m e o r i g i n a l works written by me in collabo- ration with other authors such as Uberto Kovacevich. We pre- sented many readings as well a n d s o m a n y o t h e r c u l t u r a l events over 16 years. The audi- ence has changed: first strictly lovers of Italy, then lovers of theater, then curious people, then anyone else. We are work- ing in order to have everyone understanding that Italian the- ater is theater, great theater! The bilingual aspect add value to the productions, people is intrigued and open to hear lines in a dif- ferent language. The problem is that many theaters don't want to risk and choose to do always the same kind of theater. I hope we can change this point of view soon. You are the founder and t h e d i r e c t o r o f t h e " I N S C E N A I t a l i a n T h e a t e r Festival NY"; how is that dif- ferent from the Kairos Italy Theater, that you are also the founder of? In Scena brings Italian the- ater from Italy. The shows are professional shows, that tour Italy. KIT presents mostly its own productions, made in New York. That is the only differ- ence. Both professionals, both touring theater, both Italian. Do your shows only take place in New York City? No, we tour a lot, in all the United States. KIT presents also productions in Italy and in other countries and brings US theater to Italy, like we did in April bringing the acclaimed Bedlam company to Rome with "Cry Havoc", in collaboration with our Italian partner KIT Italia on t h e o c c a s i o n o f t h e 4 0 0 t h anniversary of Shakespeare's death. In the past you created a t e a c h e r - c h a r a c t e r c a l l e d " P r o f e s s o r M a r g h e r i t a " t o teach Italian through the the- a t e r , h o w d i d y o u c o m e u p with this idea? Not sure, to be honest. I was asked to do a presentation on Italy and I thought of a professor diva, like the one I have met in a play I never remember the title of. Since the first time, 16 years- a g o I b e l i e v e , I s h a p e d t h e show, adding a sketch written by a c t o r a n d a u t h o r U b e r t o Kovacevich on the differences of 6 cities in Italy. The sketch was t h e b a s e f o r t h e e n t i r e s h o w which has traveled everywhere, making Professor Margherita a real star. I am thinking of mak- ing her working more in the near future. She has so much to give and she loves being the center of attention. Can you describe the bene- fits of teaching Italian lan- guage, literature, and culture through theater? Theater is life. Theater is inti- m a t e . T h e a t e r i s a d i a l o g u e between the artist and the audi- ence in a place and time always u n i q u e a n d n o t r e p e a t a b l e . Therefore, theater is an intense experience that could move and shape people. It is not so much about teaching, it's about shar- ing our culture and making the audience embracing it and lov- ing it! Which of your productions was the most successful and why? Beside Professor Margherita, all the productions related to a title or a theme already known in the United States have more audience and easier promotion. The Decameron is the example. We tour with The Decameron, we have easily sold out perfor- mances and many schools bring their students to see it. It's defi- nitely more difficult to promote contemporary playwrights. W h a t w e r e t h e g r e a t e s t challenges you had to face in New York? Maybe to have the Italian the- ater recognized as theater that could be enjoyed by any kind of audience. When you work on something with passion, you don't feel the challenge. You just feel the passion. I have to say though that lately I am notic- ing that I might have to over- come a challenge: to bring the Italian people – and by Italian I mean the ones from Italy, the lat- est immigration – to the theater. IN SCENA Italian Theater Festival NY Closing Night with the Mario Fratti Award at the IIC. Ph by Stefano Corso. Laura Caparrotti and Emanuele Aldrovandi received the Award Mario Fratti FILOMENA FUDULI SORRENTINO NEW YORK ITALIAN COMMUNITY Artistic director Laura Caparrotti. Photo: Stefano Corso

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