In Scena! Italian Theater Festival Begins Performances In New York And Additional Cities

The New York City-based Kairos Italy Theater, along with the Italy-based KIT Italia and Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò at NYU, will present the 10th anniversary season of In Scena! Italian Theater Festival NY from May 1st through May 16th. The Festival will be performed in all five of the New York City boroughs, in addition to Boston, Los Angeles, Detroit and San Diego. In Scena! features full productions as well as readings, lectures and exchanges between Italian and other international artists with an aim to connect the art scenes in Italy and the United States. All of the diverse performances will be performed in Italian with English subtitles. Admission to all performances and events for the Festival is free.

Forbes spoke via email with Laura Caparrotti, the Artistic Director for the Festival, about why the Festival was created. We also discussed how the performances are selected and what excites her most about this year’s Festival.

Risa Sarachan: Why was the Italian Theater Festival initially created?

Laura Caparrotti: To work toward the lack of Italian Theater from Italy in New York and, more broadly, toward the lack of International work in New York. I moved here in 1996, and besides very few shows, there was no trace of the theater from Italy I used to know and do in Italy. For this reason, I created my company, Kairos Italy Theater, and started to do Italian theater, mostly in translation or bilingual. I wanted to have our theater and artists known in the United States.

For the same reason, as soon as I had the opportunity, I created In Scena! with some partners who believed, like me, that our artists deserve international recognition. Now I would love to invite even more international theater to the States. Knowing each other and opening up to other cultures is what makes us stronger and better human beings, and theater is a perfect medium for that!

Sarachan: How do you select the shows presented at this Festival?

Caparrotti: We gather proposals through a call and also by going to the theater in Italy. The goal is always to bring a survey of Italian theater from different cities, in Italian, dialect, experimental or more traditional, drama, comedy, with live music, just mimed and so on. A real survey of the beautiful theater we make in Italy, and the talents that are making it. Of course, because we go to the five boroughs, in different venues, we also look for shows that could easily adapt to the many locations we go to. Nowadays, we are able to bring big names together with more local theaters.

Sarachan: What makes this year’s Festival special?

Caparrotti: We survived the pandemic, and we are back in full force, starting with being back at our main venue and supporter, Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo, where everything started ten years ago. It is also very special to me that in New York, we are at some of the locations I wanted to be at since year one, like Snug Harbor in Staten Island. And we partner with other locations that right now are the real places where art is happening and last but not least, that we go for the first time to the West Coast! And to Detroit. And back to Boston.

Sarachan: This year’s Festival will also go to Detroit, Los Angeles and San Diego. What made you select these additional cities?

Caparrotti: More than a choice, it was a connection that brought me to each of these cities. I knew of or heard of people who were working on Italian and Italian American events in these cities. I reached out to the venues presenting the shows that I thought could appeal to a broader audience and they enthusiastically welcomed my proposal. I am sure that their communities are going to enjoy the shows and I hope that this little seed will transform into a beautiful tree. I strongly believe in small steps.

With my company, which is now 23 years old, I had to convince the audience that Italian theater was enjoyable like any other theater and that we do things in English or with English subtitles. Even when people were telling me that it was very difficult to present Italian theater in the United States, and that no one was interested, I never stopped believing that we could succeed and I never compromised. I went against stereotypes, refusing to use the so-called Italian accent in our plays, promoting good translation and the study of supertitles, which is part of our Festival now. I did theater as I did it in Italy, for an audience, not thinking of the origin of one's coming to the theater. It was challenging and sometimes it still is, but it is so rewarding when you see the smiles of the artists and the audience. I think Italian theater (in translation or with supertitles) should go everywhere!

Sarachan: What has it achieved in these past ten years that you’re proud of?

Caparrotti: Even if we are a very small crew, we never get discouraged and keep presenting the Festival every year no matter the challenges we face, and there is always something. We might be tired and wearing too many hats, but at the end of the day, it is all so worth it. I am also proud of the network that In Scena! was able to create among the Italian artists who participated in the Festival over the years and between Italian and American artists. I truly hope that soon I will attend some collaborations made by artists on both sides of the ocean.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.