Mario Mieli

poet and philosopher, actor and militant, committed suicide in 1983 at the age of 30. His thoughts as well as being the first block on which gender studies were based, are still revolutionary today in relation to the existing social order which continues to impose a clear division between man and woman.

Animazione frame by frame

Also known as stop motion animation, consists in putting a series of drawings in sequence, one after another which rwhen reproduced at a certain speed, create an effect of movement and thus animation (like a flip book). All the illustrated and animated content present in the scene was produced using this technique.

Irene Serini

is an actress, she graduated from Milan’s Scuola del Piccolo Teatro, winner of the Premio Hystrio alla vocazione prize. She has worked with Luca Ronconi, Tonino Conte, Gioele Dix, Serena Sinigaglia and many more.

Caterina Simonelli

actress who graduated from Milan’s Scuola del Piccolo Teatro in 2005, she has trained with directors including Lev Dodin, Anatolij Vassiliev, Mamadou Dioume, Bruce Myers, Michele Abbondanza, Marco Baliani and Maria Consagra.

Olinda

Olinda is a collective project set up in 1996 with the objective of re-evaluating the ex Paolo Pini psychiatric hospital in Milan. The association was founded in January 1996 at the ex Paolo Pini Hospital which promotes: cultural events like Da vicino nessuno è normale, they also have a hostel and host theatre residencies at TeatroLaCucina as well as projects which include members of the public as well as professionals in which people can participate on a voluntary basis.

2020 • IF Prana

ABRACADABRA #4

2020 • IF Prana

ABRACADABRA #4

Theatrical project which explores the thoughts of Mario Mieli¹.

TECHNIQUE Animation frame by frame²

BY Irene Serini³
WITH Irene Serini e Caterina Simonelli⁴
ANIMATION Anna Resmini
LIGHT AND SOUND Caterina Simonelli
PHOTOGRAPHY Luca Del Pia
VIDEO Elvio Longato
PRODUCTION IF Prana
IN COLLABORATION WITH Olinda⁵ Residenza Artistica

Abracadabra – Incantesimi di Mario Mieli is a theatrical performance divided into different stages, called Studi (studies) invented and planned by Irene Serini with the intent to explore the thoughts of Mario Mieli, a unique figure in Italian culture who was very quickly dismissed.

The five studies which make up the whole play touch different areas of intimate thought in various ways. Every step is independent and autonomous compared with the previous one and deals with Mario Mieli’s visionary, lucid thoughts as a key to explore the present.

The fourth study – Abracadabra – Incantesimi di Mario Mieli [studio#4] Il Regno della Libertà (Spells by Mario Mieli [study#4] The Reign of Freedom), debuted on 6th October 2020 at Milan’s Teatro Litta.

In this study, we pass from the dimension of the monologue to that of the dialogue – the actresses are now two and not one – and another form of art is introduced to the scene: illustration and animation. Also from a scenographic point of view, important symbolic transformations are implemented, in fact we pass from the circular dimension – which distinguishes the previous studies – to the triangular. On stage we find two large triangles which mirror each other like mountains in a lake. One on the floor defines a portion of the stage space and the other suspended in the centre in the background of the scene becomes the white canvas on which the animated images are brought to life.

The purpose of the perpetual motion of the animated triangular images is to transport the public to an illusory, contemporarily illuminated dimension with respect to Mieli’s thoughts, in another space, different to the physical one and narrated by the scene.