Augustea is an itinerant theatrical event within the archaeological areas which, reaching its fifth edition, expands outside its place of birth, Tindariand lands in three other archaeological parks: Naxos, Soriano Calabro And Lipari.
The particularity ofAugustea is that of research and creation of texts linked to characters or historical events that took place on that siteit is an almost Michelangelo-like operation, we bring out the emotions and events evoking them from the suggestion of the places themselves.
We tell here the second moment Odyssey, the journey to Sicily, on the events of Ulysses, portrayed by Elio Crifò, through the fire on the Sicilian stages of the Homeric hero. We will stop in the land of the Cyclops and in the kingdom of Circe, we will pass through the sirens and Scylla and Charybdis, we will enter the palace of Aeolus and, finally, we will disembark in Ithaca where the great revenge of the man of multiform genius will take place.
The dates are 19 a Tindarion the 21st in Giardini Naxos, on the 24th in Soriano Calabro, on the 26th in Lipari.
Homer: Elio Crifò
Aeolus: Edoardo Siravo
Ulysses: Antonio Silvia
Music: Fabio Sodano and Tanino Lazzaro
Direction: Elio Crifò
The Odyssey according to Elio Crifò: according to which vision did you restore it?
I highlighted the cult of greatness in the ancient world and the culture of meanness in contemporary society. The mass culture of the Greco-Roman world exalted, in poetic verses, the exploits of Ulysses or Aeneasour institutions consider Chiara Ferragni the priestess of communication.
My impression is that Sicilian artists inhabit a special connection with the myth, what do you think?
There is no southern poet or artist who does not carry his being a son of this land sculpted in his works, it is not so for the artists of the north. In the Italian south the genius loci it creates a visceral bond with its inhabitants, very often of love, other times of repulsion, but never of indifference. Let this be there land of the Gods it is evidence, and its light is ethical, cultural and spiritual nourishment.
Your direction is part of a broader trilogy: how is it made up, have you looked for connections between the directors?
They are three unique and independent acts with as many independent direction. Our fitting is immerse the audience in the enchantment of the past.
The work enjoys a natural setting of exception, how did you set the text in its natural places?
The synergy between us and archaeological parks is to make them known and live in the most spectacular way possible, which is why we love to offer them at sunset. For example, a Tindari, my Homer will appear at the top of the gymnasium, at 4-5 meters, will descend towards the spectators, will pass in the aisles invaded by sirens and monsters … let’s play, in a serious and appropriate way, with the monuments. And then … the sea, the changing colors of the twilight, the cicadas … help to suspend the spectators in an enchantment!
Your work takes strength from knowing how to combine art and spirituality, classical and esoteric visions: do you want to mention them?
I combine all the narrative elements that contribute to telling an intellectually meaningful and emotionally powerful story. I don’t do entertainment shows but… liberation from the banality of everyday life. I put the interpretative histrionics and the spell of the show at the service of great themes or great characters. And when you manage to combine them the result is explosive! The success of a collective show like the Augusteaor personal ones like The Empires of the Mind or EsotericArtare the demonstration that there is a large slice of the public, totally ignored by the market, which does not want to be entertained but has a great desire to free the soul and fly high in the sky to gaze at the stars!