Artistic Curriculum

The Venetian theatre company Teatroimmagine was born in 1989 at the initiative of a small group of young artists who all had a different but rich background in the field of Venetian popular theatre. They were rallied by the same ambition: the revaluation of the Commedia dell'Arte, a traditional theatre genre of Italian, and more in particular, of Venetian culture. This motivation led the group to an extensive study of improvisation methods, including the different dramatic ways to represent the "canovacci" which are historically handed down plot summaries upon which the improvisation is based. The investigation was completed by research about the pantomime play and the use of masks. This philosophy has shaped the company's first performance in 1989, Il Bugiardo (The Liar) by C. Goldoni, which resulted in a great success and increased the notoriety of Teatroimmagine.

In 1990 the company had the pleasure to collaborate with Pino Costalunga, an actor and theatre director from Vicenza and at the same time an esteemed expert of the "teatro ruzzantiano" and 16th-century drama.

Though always remaining faithful to the Commedia dell'Arte, Teatroimmagine abandoned their more classic approach in 1991 and under the direction of Pino Costalunga they started an experiment with a comical version of a well-known detective story of 19th-century English literature: Il Mastino dei Baskerville (The Hound of the Baskervilles) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Thus was born The Zanni Azzannato, an amusing series of events unravelled by means of a myriad of citations by authors ranging from Boccaccio to Ruzzante and Goldoni. The whole spectacle was dominated by a powerful and acrobatic expressiveness, shaped by the various clichés that have been characterizing the art of the commedianti for a very long time. The resulting success all around the region of Veneto and even further (the company has been the Venetian representative at the National Festival of Commedia Dell'Arte) convinced the artists to continue in this direction.

Meanwhile, the individual members of Teatroimmagine have also upgraded their personal artistic knowledge, confronting themselves and working with actors and theatre companies of European fame. Meeting with professional theatre companies like TAG Teatro of Venice and the Ensemble Vicenza Teatro (and with their prominent technical staff: Stefano Perocco - Mask-characters; Antonia Munaretti - Costumes; Paolo Coin - Music; Nelly Quette -Choreography) and especially with celebrities such as Carlo Boso, Roberto Cuppone, Giovanni Perelda, Marco Paolini and Kuniaki Ida, has made it possible for the group to face the staging of I Pirati della Laguna (The Pirates of the Lagoon) in 1993. This performance was inspired by the famous adventure novel L'Isola del Tesoro (The Treasure Island) by Robert Luis Stevenson. With the brilliant Costalunga as director, the story meanders along unrestrained pirates and light-headed lovers and is generously coloured by the popular Venetian theatre and its glints of clownish pantomime.

I Pirati della Laguna was widely performed and won some prestigious national awards. This encouraged Teatroimmagine in 1994 to push their audacious experimentation even further, resulting in a comic translation of the famous Shakespearean tragedy Romeo and Juliet. In the adaptation, the story about the two young lovers of Verona remains unchanged, but the whole is embedded in a comic frame composed by a mixture of jokes and different idioms shaping a kaleidoscope of grotesque situations. The dazzling success has been confirmed most strikingly by the warmly welcomed participation in several roadshows through countries such as Greece, Sweden, Germany, Spain, Poland, Egypt, Tunisia, Malta and Lebanon.

Recently, Teatroimmagine was the Italian representative at the 7th International Theatre Festival in Cairo (Egypt) and at the Spring Theatre Festival in Thessaloniki (Greece) winning both times the official award of the critics and of the public. Soon the company will also attend other important international events in Argentina, Russia, Cameroon and the U.S.A.

In 1996 the company created a new play, Pantalone all'Inferno (Pantaloon in Hell), always in line with the tradition of the Italian commedianti. Once again the show offers joy and entertainment by the means of a new fascinating story that takes the audience to fantastic places where the masks of the Commedia give life to countless jokes, games, duels, dances and. magical surprises.

In 1997 Teatroimmagine undertook an ambitious and very attractive project from an artistic point of view: the production of a pantomime for music and actors by W.A. Mozart entitled Pantaloon and Columbine. The official international debut took place during an exciting series of performances at the Cairo Opera House.

During the 1999 - 2000 theatre season the company staged Amleto (Hamlet), a comic two-act remake of Shakespeare's well-known and widely performed play. In this spectacle, irony and grotesqueness often replace tragedy, without, however, depriving the story of its intense and magical dramatic force.

After this Shakespearean era, Teatroimmagine returned to a more Italian inspiration. In the fortunate July of 2000 the Venetian author and hence one of the company's fellow citizens Carlo Gozzi provided the foundation of a new piece with his folktale L'Amore delle tre Melarance (The Love for three Oranges). The result was a new humorous spectacle based on fantasy and the interaction between the masks.

In 2001, Hansel and Gretel, a new project directed especially at youngsters, was created. Even if it was the company's very first experience in the field of youth theatre, it was without a doubt a great success. The overall approval and participation of the kids, both Italian and foreign (young and not so young) has been a motivation to continue this adventure.

The year 2002 saw the company's great return to the beloved Shakespeare. This time, the author inspired them with another masterpiece of his: Il Mercante di Venezia (The Merchant of Venice). Teatroimmagine's version of one of his most famous and most appreciated works all over the world premiered in Nice (FR) at "Les Baroquiales" Festival, one of the most important cultural events in Europe.

The company's next production was a theatre adaptation of I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed) after Alessandro Manzoni's homonymous novel. Given that this work is one of the most representative and widely read novels of Italian literature, the staging of this spectacle undoubtedly represented an unprecedented challenge for the theatre company. The year of 2004 also marked the beginning of an enthusiastic collaboration with the Belgian director Benoit Roland, who promoted the play at several international happenings.

In 2005 Teatroimmagine put together a second show for youngsters. Il Mago di Oz (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), brilliantly directed by Matteo Destro, was mostly based on mimicry and on the storytelling and imaginative possibilities fostered by the actor's body.

Il Mastino dei Baskerville (The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) was performed for the first time in 1991. In 2007, a good seventeen years later, this successful production was rediscovered. The plot remained that of the exciting detective story of Sherlock Holmes. It's freshness and humour were a result of the scenery movement to the Italian Bassa Padana.

Il Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) of 2009, accompanied by Rossini's brilliant music, was a comical remake of the famous melodrama inspired by the work of the French playwright Beaumarchais and most of all by the libretto of Cesare Sterbini.

In 2011 Teatroimmagine took part in an intensive CdA internship organised by the great Carlo Boso. The main goal of this internship was to renew the company's acting techniques and essentials in order to be able to face a new project: the great best-seller by Umberto Eco, Il Nome della Rosa (The Name of the Rose), which is inspired by 13th-century French chivalry. This resulted in a crisp and entertaining comedy, in which the glorious tradition of the Italian Comici dell'Arte, mixed with theatrical techniques from different eras and cultures, resulted in a "rose" of evocative names... not so much with the aim of laughing by means of a common parody. but mostly that of writing poetry while laughing!

In 2013 the company reached twenty-five years of Commedia dell'Arte and passion for theatre. Teatroimmagine celebrated this occasion with a new production: Robin Hood - a Venetian legend (Robin Hood - una leggenda veneziana) . Yes, our hero moved to the lagoon in order to support the people who fight against the tyranny of the Magnificent usurper. As always the company used comedy, irony and music, to foster a message of positivity, hope and joy of living!

INTERNATIONAL AWARDS

1995 - Award of the critics and the audience at 7th CIFET (Cairo, Egypt)
1996 - Winner of the International Comedy Festival in Hamburg (Germany)
1997 - Best play at the European Theatre Festival in Stockholm (Sweden)
1998 - Winner of the Spring Theatre Festival in Thessaloniki (Greece)
1999 - Winner of the IFIT Festival in Istanbul (Turkey)
2000 - First Award at the International Shakespeare Festival in Hvar (Croatia)
2002 - Best play at Les Baroquiales Festival in Nice (France)
2003 - Winner of the Welcome Festival in Brussels (Belgium)
2005 - Best Company and Best Performance at the Mediterranean Theatre Days in La Valletta (Malta)
2006 - Award of the audience at Italian Culture Month in Nicosia (Cyprus)

... AND RECENT NATIONAL AWARDS

2006 - Winner of the National Festival of Dialect Theatre "La Guglia d'Oro" in Agugliano (AN) with The Betrothed
2007 - Winner of the National Festival of Dialect Theatre " La Guglia d'Oro" in Agugliano (AN) with The Merchant of Venice
2008 - Winner of the National Festival "Francesco Lieti" in Carosino (TA) with The Merchant of Venice
2009 - Winner of the National Festival "Francesco Lieti" in Carosino (TA) with The Betrothed
2009 - Winner of the National Festival "Sipario d'Oro" in Rovereto (TN) with The Merchant of Venice
2010 - Winner of the National Traveling Festival "Premio Marcello Mascherini" in Pordenone with The Barber of Seville
2010 - Winner of the 42nd National Theatre Festival "A. Perugini Award" in Macerata with The Betrothed
2011 - Winner of the National Festival "Theatro XS" of Salerno (SA) with The Betrothed.
2012 - Winner of the National Theatre Award "G. Mellano"- FOLLE D'ORO - City of Fossano - 4th Edition with The Barber of Seville;
2013 - Winner of the National Drama Festival of Imperia with The Betrothed.
2014 - Winner of the 24th International Theatre Festival of Castello di Gorizia - "Francesco Macedonio" Award with The Betrothed
2015 - Winner of the 1st VenetoTheatre Festival - Award Confcommercio San Donà-Jesolo with The Betrothed
2015 - Winner of the 68th National Drama Festival of Pesaro with The Barber of Seville