An Actor’s Studio piece inspired by Dacia Maraini’s text. A performance conceived and directed by Firenza Guidi and performed by Elisa Selmi and Daniele Milano
A claustrophobic space: she, the prostitute, rents a section of a warehouse for her business. She doesn’t take clients to her home. She is an entrepreneur; she knows how to deal with men, almost intimidating them. The space metaphorically creates a triangle between the prostitute-client relationship, the actor-actress relationship and the actors-audience relationship, in a continuous interweaving of cuts between the actors’ real voices, the dramatic voice of the text and the voice of the audience, which, in the 1970s, was an active part of the performance, with heated debates alternating with the theatrical dialogue.
Dacia Maraini’s text dates from 1973; in some parts it is dated, but the power of the text lies in the prostitute’s words. Her voice still has contemporary relevance. There may be some controversial elements for a contemporary audience; the text’s uninhibited nature and the brazen references to sex reflect an attitude typical of the era, one that came to a halt—certainly ‘toned down’—with the emergence of AIDS.
I researched the music of ’73 (all the tracks used are from that year) which, combined with the lyrics, evokes a world that is deeply decayed yet still idealised: here, people still believe they can change the world. However bleak life may be, it is worth living.
When
21.12.2014
21:30
Where
Ex Factory, Viale Colombo – Fucecchio
