dramma popolare

FOUNDATION INSTITUTION POPULAR DRAMMA

In the summer of 1944, in San Miniato, German landmines destroyed Teatro Verdi. To improve the conditions of the city ,it was created a theater able to meet people with performances in squares and in churches . The Institute for Popular Drama started its activity at the sign of Saint Genesius, patron of San Miniato. In 1947 Henri Gheòn's "The Mask and the Grace" was presented; The show was highly successful.

The Institute for Popular Drama was born "to give back to people 'their' theatre; to ensure that the theater acquired, in the social evolution, its leadership mission. Since theatre, as well as a cultural and artistic function, it must have an ethical and social function. The Institute for Popular Drama includes works of Christian inspiration. The Institute has tried to stand by these goals and to search for texts that had those characteristics and that had never been represented before,a bond that has always been respected in the fifty editions of the Theatre Festival In 1948 Don Giancarlo Ruggini was nominated Artistic Director of the Institute.In that year it was staged "Murder in the Cathedral"by Eliot, a great success that decreed the definitive success of the Institute of Popular Drama in the Italian theatre scenery. The Institute of Popular Drama of San Miniato is the oldest festival in Italy and represents a unique example in the Italian and European theatre scene. The represented texts, belong to the dramaturgy , called "Theater of the Spirit", that is to say all those jobs that look for the meaning of life. The Christian inspiration is felt as deep reason of the interpretation of history, as a source of questions and possible answers, as cultural, social and spiritual roots, as the possibility of new life. A genuinely popular drama, looking for a different answer, perhaps more difficult, but the one for which it is worth spending the existence. The popular drama is managed by the Popular Drama Institute Foundation of San Miniato, directed by Salvatore Ciulla and presided by Stefano Petrucci, the festival is staged in July. Several teachers have signed the direction of the various shows, including Orazio Costa, Luigi Squarzina, Franco Enriquez, Sandro Bolchi, Aldo Trionfo, José Quaglio, Sandro Sequi, Beppe Menegatti, Hugh Gregory, Giancarlo Sbragia, Mario Scaccia, Pine Manzari and Krzysztof Zanussi . Among the authors of the texts represented figured Henri Ghéon, Thomas Eliot, Jacques Copeau, Georges Bernanos, Graham Greene, Paul Claudel, Diego Fabbri, Ignazio Silone, Pomilio Mario, Mario Luzi, Elie Wiesel, Franco Enriquez, Thomas Mann, Kaj Munk, Derek Walcott, August Strindberg, Elena Bono, Julien Gracq, Curzio Malaparte and the pope Karol Wojtyla.

Some of the most significant works performed over the years: 1947 LA MASCHERA E LA GRAZIA of HENRI GHEON Directed by Alessandro Brissoni

1948 ASSASSINIO NELLA CATTEDRALE

of THOMAS S. ELIOT Directed by Giorgio Strehler 1949 YO, EL REY of BRUNO CICOGNANI Directed by Mario Landi 1950 IL POVERELLO of JACQUES COPEAU Directed by Orazio Costa 1951 GIOVANNA E I GIUDICI of THIERRY MAULNIER Directed by Guido Salvini 1952 L’ ULTIMA AL PATIBOLO of GEORGES BERNANOS Directed by Orazio Costa 1953 L’ AIUOLA BRUCIATA of UGO BETTI Directed by Orazio Costa 1954 È MEZZANOTTE, DOTTOR SCHWEITZER of GILBERT CESBRON Directed by Luigi Squarzina 1955 IL POTERE E LA GLORIA of GRAHAM GREENE Directed by Luigi Squarzina 1956 VEGLIA D’ ARMI of DIEGO FABBRI Directed by Orazio Costa 1957 L’ OSTAGGIO of PAUL CLAUDEL Directed by Mario Ferrero 1958 “ J.B.” of ARCHIBALD MacLEISH Directed by Luigi Squarzina 1959 IL GRANDE STATISTA of THOMAS S. ELIOT Directed by Luigi Squarzina 1960 PASSIONE DI SAN LORENZO of P. DAVID MARIA TUROLDO Directed by Giovanni Poli 1961 LA GUERRA DEI FIGLI DELLA LUCE of MOSHE SHAMIR Directed by Franco Enriquez 1962 MIGUEL MANARA of O.V. de MILOSZ Directed by Orazio Costa 1963 IL PRIMOGENITO of CHRISTOPHER FRY Directed by Orazio Costa 1964 LA RIUNIONE DI FAMIGLIA of THOMAS S. ELIOT Directed by Mario Ferrero 1965 SOTTO IL SOLE DI SATANA of D. FABBRI and C. NOVELLI da G. BERNANOS Directed by Josè Quaglio 1966 IL SEGRETARIO PARTICOLARE of THOMAS S. ELIOT Directed by Josè Quaglio 1967 IL CONCERTO DI SANT’OVIDIO of A. BUERO VALLEJO Directed by P. Giuranna 1968 QURELA CONTRO IGNOTO of GEORGES NEVEUX Directed by Josè Quaglio 1969 L’ AVVENTURA D’ UN POVERO CRISTIANO of IGNAZIO SILONE Directed by Valerio Zurlini 1970 IL SONNO DELLA RAGIONE of A. BUERO VALLEJO Directed by P. Giuranna

1971 L’ ERBA DELLA STELLA DELL’ ALBA

of AMLETO MICOZZI and MARCELLO ASTE

Directed by Marcello Asta

1972 SAVONAROLA of MICHEL SUFFRAN Directed by Josè Quaglio 1973 IL PELLEGRINO DEL NORDEST of A. DIAS GOMES Directed by Ruggero Jacobbi 1974 UN UOMO PER TUTTE LE STAGIONI of ROBERT BOLT Directed by Josè Quaglio 1975 IL QUINTO EVANGELISTA of MARIO POMILIO Directed by Orazio Costa Giovangigli 1976 BARABBA of MICHEL DE GHELDERODE Directed by Josè Quaglio 1977 LA ROSA BIANCA of DANTE GUARDAMAGNA Directed by Giulio Borsetti 1978 ELOISA E ABELARDO of FRANCO ENRIQUEZ Directed by Franco Enriquez 1979 IPAZIA E IL MESSAGGERO of MARIO LUIZI Directed by Orazio Costa 1980 AL DIO IGNOTO of DIEGO FABBRI Directed by Orazio Costa 1981 RAMON IL MERCEDARIO of LUIGI SANTUCCI Directed by Lamberto Puggelli 1982 IL SACRILEGIO of ITALO ALIGHIERO CHIUSANO Directed by Gian Filippo Belardo 1983 IL PROCESSO DI SHAMGOROD of ELIE WIESEL Directed by Roberto Guicciardini 1984 OLTRE LE TRINCEE of FABIO STORELLI 1985 GIOBBE of KAROL WOJTYLA Directed by Aleksandra Kurczab 1986 FIORENZA of THOMAS MANN Directed by Aldo Trionfo 1987 IL CAPANNO DEGLI ATTREZZI of GRAHAM GREENE Directed by Sandro Bolchi 1988 IL VENTO DEL CIELO of EMLYN WILLIAMS Directed by Franco Meroni 1989 L’IMPOSTURA of GEORGES BERNANOS Directed by Brigitte Jaques 1990 LA GRANDE STRADA MESTRA of J. AUGUST STRINDBERG Directed by Mario Morini

1991 IL POTERE DELLA GLORIA of GRAHAM GREENE Directed by G. Sbragia 1992 ORDET of KAJ MUNK Directed by Mario Scaccia 1993 TI-JEAN E I SUOI FRATELLI of DEREK WALCOOT Directed by Sylvano Buussotti 1994 IL CRISTO PROIBITO of CURZIO MALAPARTE Directed by Massimo Luconi 1995 MAGIC of GILBERT K.CHESTERTON Directed by Mario Scaccia 1996 IL RE PESCATORE of JULIEN GRACQ Directed by Krysztof Zanussi 1997 BILLY BUDD of HERMAN MELVILLE Directed by Sandro Sequi 1998 L’UOMO CHE VIDE of JOSEPH DELTEIL Directed by Krysztof Zanussi 1999 CAVALIERE DI VENTURA of ROBERTO CAVOSI Directed by Beppe Menegatti 2000 LE SPADE E LE FERITE of ELENA BONO Directed by Ugo Gregoretti 2001 SAULO DI TARSO of O.V. de MILOSZ Directed by Maurizio Schmidt 2002 I TEMPLARI of ELENA BONO Directed by Pino Manzari 2003 BARTOLOMEO DE LA CASAS of REINHOLD SCHNEIDER Directed by Giovanni Maria Tenti 2004 IL DILEMMA DEL PRIGIONIERO of DAVID EDGAR Directed by Maurizio Panici 2005 IL CUSTODE DELL’ ACQUA of FRANCO SCAGLIA Directed by Maurizio Panici 2006 LA ROCCIA of THOMAS STEARNS ELIOT Directed by Pino Manzari 2007 IL NEMICO of JULIEN GREEN Directed by Carmelo Rifici 2008 BARIONA O IL FIGLIO DEL TUONO of JEAN-PAUL SARTRE Directed by Roberto Guicciardini 2009 LA TESTA DEL PROFETA of ELENA BONO Directed by Carmelo Rifici 2010 IL PROCESSO A GESU’ of DIEGO FABBRI Directed by Maurizio Panici

2010 IL PRATO of DIEGO FABBRI Directed by Salvatore Ciulla 2011 SARABANDA of INGMAR BERGAN Directed by Massimo Luconi 2012 ANIMA ERRANTE of ROBERTO CAVOSI Directed by Carmelo Rifici 2013 L’OMBRA DI ANTIGONE of MARIA ZAMBRANO Directed by Roberto Guicciardini 2014 FINIS TERRAE of GIANNI CLEMENTI Directed by Antonio Calenda 2015 PASSIO HOMINIS Sacra rappresentazione medievale dal Codice V.E. 361 Directed by Antonio Calenda