5 YEARS OF TACT
Oh, it has its triumphs,
but look at its countless defeats,
missed blows,
and repeat attempts!
– Wislawa Szymborska
To create an international theatre festival with more than 10 ensembles and more than 100 actors from all over the world, performing their shows in their mother tongue, looked like something quite unachievable to a group of friends who had this idea out of the blue in 2014. At that time, they had made just a flier, there were far less events in the programme, and the festival was held in a small yet comfortable local theatre. And now here we are, the 5th edition, a programme full of events and in a Theatre that looks tailor made for TACT. From the 19th to the 27th of May the Teatro Stabile Sloveno, 4 San Petronio street, turns into the Festival’s residence.
During the day people work in the theatre itself, on its several floors. At the same time, in the mornings, there will be 7 educational and intensive workshops held by Italian and international directors, and this year they’re all women. For this year we wanted the teaching and sharing of knowledge to be given to you from 7 incredible teachers, each of them with a lot of experience in theatre and some of them even in cinema. Each of them has different skills to offer: the Stanislavskij Method of the Russian director Marina Shimanskaya, the modern reconstruction of the main Features of the Commedia dell’Arte held by Lucia Zaghet, the study of one of the most powerful instruments of our body – the voice – with the Hungarian trainer Marta Kelemen, the Odissi dance performed by the Indian dancer and performer Pratibha Jena Singh, a dramaturgical exercise through our dreams with the actress and performer Diana Höbel, the theatre-dance show of the Hungarian dancer and choreographer Borbála Blaskó graduated at Pina Bausch’s Folkwang Hochschule, the study of text and characters held by the Lithuanian director Silva Krivickienė. The work continues in the afternoon with Tact&Catch-Up where the audience has the chance meet the actors and the directors of the shows they see at night, to discuss, to ask questions or simply to hear what the groups have to say about their Art.
The driving force behind the Festival are the curtains of the Sala Grande and Sala Ridotta going up at night, and the shows of the 10 ensembles who have been selected.
This year TACT begins with the Argentinian ensemble Grupo Subsuelo Teatro, where the theatre of the absurd merges with the aesthetic of the Pop Art, then comes a theatre-dance show taken from the poetic texts of the Carmina Burana and performed by Class of Cserhalmi György, a Hungarian ensemble made of 12 actors and dancers. From the ancient Indian mythology of Prism Theatre Society, who chose theatre as mean of communication aiming to go beyond the limits of creativity, we move on to the English literature brought on stage by CUT Trieste (the Festival’s organizers), a group of young people constantly getting better: their experience is not given by academies but by self-thought discipline and effort. This year our special guest is Marco Chenevier, a dancer and actor who graduated at the International Academy in Rome: he is interested in exploring the borders between dance and theatre. Then comes the Groupe de Théâtre Antique, from Switzerland, an ensemble made of students and former students from Neuchâtel’s University: for years they have been performing ancient Greek and Latin texts in a modern reinterpretation. Carbon Theatre Company from Iran sees Art as a way to connect people despite our being different from one another. We go from Spain with Ànima Eskola ensemble, where the acting is based on improvisation but without forgetting ethic and discipline, to Lithuania with Teomai, an ensemble whose theatre is psychological and based on the conflict between faith and doubt, between love and forgiveness. Moreover, the choreographer and dancer Pratibha Jena Singh will perform traditional Indian dance. And last but not least, the Russian ensemble STUDIYA.project will close TACT 2018. They were our well applauded guests in last year edition, and we decided to host them again because we share their idea of a living, intense theatre, always changing and open to new ways of growth and enrichment.
But don’t worry, events and fun don’t end with the shows! Tact&Concert will be held every night, with local and international artists and two special guests: WassAgushevi Afrobalkan Orchestra and Biondo Dio; Tact&Art, a photography exhibit organized with DDproject that will last for the whole festival; Tact&Wine, a wine tasting to discover the products of our region; Tact4Young in April, because as every year, TACT has thought about the little ones and has organized a whole week of fantastic shows and activities.
Waiting for TACT, while we wait for the festival to start, will present 3 unmissable events: Lose Your Mind Underground with Nika Furlani and Ivo Huez who will perform a show where photography and theatre merge together; Omaggio a Gillo Dorfles (Homage to Gillo Dorfles) with the actor Massimo Finelli and the musician Duilio Meucci and then a show dedicated to the great scientist Nikola Tesla.
On Saturday the 19th of May, Art Pride will greet the Festival: a parade through the streets of Trieste, under the afrobalkan sound of the WassAgushevi Afrobalkan Orchestra, with waders and fireworks from Yassin Kordani. The streets of Trieste will be crawling with people shouting out their pride as actors, musicians, dancers, acrobats, painters, sculptors… We are proud of pursuing art as way of life and proud of always believing in beauty, doesn’t matter how tough and rough life can get.
Sala Grande and Ridotto, scenery flat, costumes, curtain, red curtains, black curtains, technicians, staff, artists, guests, participants, mixer for the sound, mixer for the lights, lights, chairs, seats, changing rooms…
We’re READY!
Light and energy.
#madeintact
TACT Festival Staff