Categories: News

Embrace the arts in 2021 with ‘Play-Back’, a contemporary Italian theatre series

Morning view of Amalfi cityscape on coast line of mediterranean sea, Italy

Curated by Elvira Frosini and Daniele Timpano, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura Melbourne (IIC Melbourne), is proud to announce its 2021 Play-Back theatre edition – an exclusive online viewing of the performing arts dedicated to contemporary Italian theatre.

With ‘tutto un mondo’ summed up in ten plays from February to November, IIC Melbourne Artistic Proposals and Events Coordinator, Daniela Severi, said the performances are significant to the world of contemporary Italian theatre production.

As we all look forward to touring the world again, we are taking advantage of this forced hiatus from travel to launch Play-Back to a wider Australian audience. Though we cannot be in Italy, we are proud to be able to bring these original companies to theatre lovers Down Under, especially to those who have yet had the opportunity to experience la bellezza del teatro.

Whetting an appetite for contemporary Italian works, the first play to be released this month is from The Anagoor Company.

Titled ‘Socrate il sopravvissuto / Come le foglie’ the piece is based on the novel ‘Il Sopravvissuto’, by Antonio Scurati, with graftings inspired by Plato and Cees Nooteboom and is presented from the point of view of a teacher standing in front of a group of students.

Between the moments preceding the death of Socrates as ordered by the city, and the hour in which the student, Vitaliano Caccia, shoots dead a whole examination committee, only sparing the life of his history and philosophy teacher (as it is fiercely painted in Scurati’s novel), a battle is engaged; an authentic clash of the giants within western thought from its origins to its inevitable and tragic historical outcomes.

Throughout, two eternal queries are renewed, the search for meaning – as a bulky question mark is turned towards the teacher – and the question around the position occupied by the educator itself, concerning knowledge and the disciples.

Responding to an iconic aesthetic, Play-Back theatre edition embraces Italian dialogue through the performing arts, philosophy, and literature to evolve into grandi spettacoli for audience members to enjoy.

An eye-catching program below, immerse yourself in the beauty of the Italian performing arts.

February | Anagoor (Castelfranco Veneto) – Socrate il sopravvissuto / Come le foglie
March | C & C Company / Carlo Massari (Bologna) – Beast without Beauty
April | Lacasadargilla (Roma) – When the rain stops falling
May | Compagnia Vetrano / Randisi (Imola) – Totò e Vicè
June | Blue Desk / Simone Amendola + Valerio Malorni (Roma) – L’uomo nel diluvio
July | Fabiana Iacozzilli/Cranpi (Roma) – La classe – un docupuppets per marionette e uomini
August | Quotidiana.com (Rimini) – L’anarchico non è fotogenico
September | Aldes / Giselda Ranieri (Lucca) – T.I.N.A.
October | Compagnia Carullo / Minasi (Messina) – Due passi sono
November| Opera Bianco (Terni) – Jump!

To view the Play-Back series, please visit and subscribe to the Istituto Italiano di Cultura YouTube channel.

For more information on the IIC Melbourne, please visit www.iicmelbourne.esteri.it

Gabi Bergman

Gabi Bergman (she/her) is a Melbourne-based performer and educator, and the current Deputy Editor-in-Chief of AussieTheatre.com. She holds a double degree in Theatre Studies and Film/Screen Studies, along with a Master of Teaching (Secondary Education). A passionate advocate for inclusion and diversity in the arts, Gabi brings her deep love of storytelling to the stage, the page, and the classroom. A lifelong lover of theatre, she spends more on tickets than she’d like to admit. Her most prized possession is her ever-growing collection of theatre programs.