Astragali Teatro in his repertoire of postmodern approaches to the ancient Greek theatre -TRAGEDY- has recently produced the famous antimilitary play: “The Trojan women”, by Euripides. The above work took place under the auspicies of the European programme “Culture 2000”. So next to “Antigone” by Sophocles and its unique success in different places (Zakinthos 2003) the Greek myth of the post dramatic “fortune” of Trojan people has reached an extraordinary and impressive goal. Fabio Tolledi, as stage director, assisted by his passionate collaborators, has extracted the best juices of the actors in an intensively conceived exercises' programme. He has then enlighten the most insightful feeling of the “victims” of the war during their violent extermination, after the total destruction of the city of Troy. Fabio Tolledi asked his actors, coming from different Mediterranean countries (Italy, Greece, Malta, Cyprus, Turkey) to reconstruct their ideas through a physical act using their means of expression in the most precise way. This is the great contribution of Fabio's process in actor's teaching.
Fully aware of Grotowski's method “via negativa”, he tries to deliberate actors from obstacles preventing them to achieve a profound interpretation.
Actors in “DONI DI GUERRA” were required to focus on a narrative values, inspirited from “Trojan women” by Euripides and then, using their performing virtues, coming from continues laborious exercises to give scenic evidence. And although Fabio never insists on symbol (symbolical meanings) in his performances, the audience has the chance to discover a meaningful scenic world, impregnated by original, reactive modern ideas. Even in the level of iconography the actors “physical acts” referred to violent moments” proposed real “practices” of peace.
Acts with impressive connotation, acts produced by the use of “hard” materials as, for example, the exceptionally interesting act of the actor throwing “earth” on his body proposing the burial of a soldier. Remember the terrible presence of the slaughtered lamb connoting the massacre and an eloquent image of the war crime.
Notwithstanding the above Fabio has achieved to consolidate a multifaceted “friendship” between people coming from different Mediterranean countries (Cyprus, Turkey).
The actors participants as sensible artists -agents of culture- having received the peaceful message will transmit it now every where is the world. The actors finally equipped with the “gifts” of Fabio Tolledi's method will be more able to confront difficulties inherent to their professional job.
Tilemachos Moudatsakis
Director of theatre of “Vivi”
Professor of theater studies
at the University of Crete Rethymin