L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 26 T ruly poetic and delicately beautiful: this could be Spettacolo in a nutshell. But I wouldn't pay it justice, because there's so much more to it than that. Chris Shellen and Jeff Malmberg, the minds and eyes behind the production, did- n't just bring on screen the obvi- ous, charming beauty of a corner of medieval Tuscany. They gave us the quirks and the humor of small-town Italy, its stronger- than-ever necessity to cling to its history and reality, lest it becomes a mere touristic repro- duction of itself. They gave us 90 minutes of Italy's soul. Spettacolo brings us in the world of Monticchiello's Teatro Povero (poor theatre), a tradition born in the 1960s, where the community tells its stories and exorcises its fears bringing them on stage: there aren't profession- al actors here, but only villagers playing themselves on a stage as large as the village itself, in a representation that lasts - between its organization, prepa- ration, rehearsals and final mise- en-scène - the whole year. Spettacolo opened recently in New York, receiving excellent reviews on the New York Times, The Village Voice and The National Review, as well as winning the Premio del Pubblico al Miglior Film at this year's Biografilm Festival. Soon, on the 29 th of September, it'll open in LA, at the Monica Film Center and Laemmle Music Hall. L'Italo-Americano met up with creators and directors Chris Shellen and Jeff Malmberg to learn more about their work and their Italian experience. How did you discover the theatrical tradition of Monticchiello? It was completely by chance. We were on vacation in Tuscany when we stepped inside a town that felt very different from the other towns we'd visited. The FRANCESCA BEZZONE When reality is made on stage: Spettacolo and the living theatre of Monticchiello only open door led to a dark art studio, where a man with this incredible mane of hair was painting a protest scene. We were instantly captivated by him and discovered that he was the director of a village that deals with its problems through the- atre. What lies behind your ulti- mate decision to translate Monticchiello's teatro povero into a full length documen- tary? After we read about Teatro Povero di Monticchiello, we couldn't stop thinking about it. The problems the town is facing are fairly universal, but the way they've chosen to deal with them is astounding. We've met artists and small groups who use art to deal with conflict, but never an entire village. And for over fifty years! We couldn't believe it when we learned that no one had ever documented their process from start to finish. As a theater lover, the idea of a place where the bound- aries between stage and reality blur this much fascinates me. But is it truly like that, in Monticchiello? It is! The town feels very the- atrical and larger than life, even though the villagers are normal working people. Their com- ments and personalities are incorporated into the plays, and over time the plays become like a sort of scrapbook of their lives. We actually had trouble getting them to talk about individual plays from the past, because the shows seemed to blur together like memories. What's the ultimate goal of your documentary? In Italy, we're hoping to take the film on a road tour of Italy's small villages. The New York Times just published an article on "Italy's dying towns," and we saw it with our own eyes. We're hoping that Teatro Povero can inspire the remaining inhabitants to tell their stories - whether through theatre or some other form of art - and preserve that connection with their roots. In America, we hope that Monticchiello can show us the importance of open communica- tion. The villagers in Monticchiello don't always agree with each other (some of them don't even like each other), but they come together every night to talk and debate, and that exchange has made them stronger. And of course, we want peo- ple to go to Monticchiello's summer play!  The town is struggling to keep its tradition alive, so they need "educated tourists" to visit and support their theatre. How was your idea wel- comed by the people in Monticchiello? Surprisingly well! We were fortunate that 50 years of self- examination and satire has given the villagers a great sense of adventure and humor, because there aren't many towns that would allow two Americans to move in and document their every move for six months. Could you see a tradition like that of Monticchiello developing somewhere in the US? How would you imagine a "people's theatre" made in USA? That's exactly what we're hoping will happen - both here and in Italy's other small vil- lages. America is probably too big to have one "people's the- atre" for the entire country, but we would love to see autodrama incorporated at the community level. America has thousands of community theaters, but they generally perform scripted plays. Imagine if those theaters encour- aged people from different neighborhoods and backgrounds to create art together. One curiosity: where does your interest in Italy come from? At first, we were (embarrass- ingly) similar to the tourists from the middle of our film. We were attracted by Italy's history, art, food, and hospitality. But learning Italian and living along- side our friends in Monticchiello for six months showed us how much we miss when we stick to the guidebooks. The experience was an enormous honor, and we just hope that we did justice to Monticchiello's story. Where can we enjoy "Spettacolo" and is there any change to see it soon also in Italy? The film will be playing in cinemas around the US and Canada over the next several months. On September 29, it opens at the Monica Film Center and the Laemmle Music Hall in Los Angeles. And after that, it will be available on Amazon and DVD/Bluray. We're still working on Italian distribution, though we're opti- mistic after winning the Premio del Pubblico al Miglior Film and a jury award at the most recent Biografilm Festival. Incrociamo le dita! Chris and Jeff with Andrea Cresti, artistic director of Monticchiello's Teatro Povero LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY Monticchiello and its people

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