Four open-air theatre performances, to be enjoyed in the moonlight. Thursday 18 July sees the start of “L’Ora d’Aria”, a review of amateur theatre promoted by the TeatroCastello association in collaboration with other companies from Castelfiorentino and Tuscany, which includes four shows (every Thursday) until 8 August, in the ex-Arena gardens (via XX Settembre)
Admission is free but an offer is welcome.
The first event on the programme – Thursday 18 – is proposed by the Compagnia “Gli Avanzati” (Lucca) and is entitled “Brothers and sisters”, a bitter and minimalist comedy that stages a very delicate situation such as the reading of a will. The protagonists are four brothers who gather in the office of a notary to listen to the last will and testament of their deceased father, a very wealthy man. The disappointment of their expectations will make the masks of “good people” fall off, showing their true natures in a crescendo of grotesque situations and absurd confessions. The audience will be drawn into an entertaining ballet of exchanges and misunderstandings, until the surprising finale.
On Thursday 25 July, the “Unicorno” company (Vinci) presents “Whose is the Red Volvo?”, two one-act plays revolving around the question, set in different situations: from the crisis into which a radio station has plunged to the temptation to suicide of four people who find themselves on the same terrace, driven by the bizarre situation to confide in each other and investigate the causes that led them to this extreme decision.
On Thursday 1 August, the Gruppo Amici del Teatro di Castelnuovo d’Elsa (GAT) company will propose “Daylight Saving Time”, while TeatroCastello will conclude the festival on 8 August with “Basalt the magician of Castello”.
As you may recall, the review was conceived by Paolo Puccini (who passed away in 2014) more than ten years ago, and owes its name to the place where it was held in the first editions, namely the space of the “Ora d’aria” of the former Castelfiorentino district prison. The success in terms of participation then led the organisers to opt for a more suitable venue, with a larger capacity, but without forgetting the spirit of its founder.
“This year, more than ever,” say the TeatroCastello company, “takes on a special significance for us, because 10 August will mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Paolo Puccini, founder of TeatroCastello and creator of the L’ora d’Aria review. We are therefore honoured and happy to continue along the path he marked out”.
“Theatre and art in general are a way to learn about oneself and then to get to know the world with a different intensity and truth,” observes Culture Councillor Franco Spina. “The month of July is studded with fruitful open-air theatre activity, and therefore represents an excellent opportunity to intercept a wider audience, which from the bastion area reaches the city centre with the review promoted on Monday evenings by the Fondazione Teatro del Popolo and on Thursday evenings by TeatroCastello. With the Ora d’Aria we inaugurate a review strongly desired by Paolo Puccini, a virtuoso actor and director who died prematurely ten years ago and who left a precious legacy to be preserved and enhanced”.