“COSMOS” is the 35th International School of Performance, directed by Firenza Guidi.
The two weeks of creative residency and shows were held in Fucecchio (FI) from the 16th to the 30th of August 2026.
The project is inspired by “The Melancholy of Resistance” by László Krasznahorkai.
Giulia Artoni, Laura Bencini, Elia Bocciardi, Pietro Canovai, Bara Dankova, Bethy Darragh, Amálie Furmanová, Elena Gollin, Adam Havsky,
Lorenzo Mauro Rossi, Danyna Mearns, Daniele Milano, Genny Miola, David Murray, Serena Orlando, Jude O’Neil, Kyle Palmer, Camilla Pessi,
Alessandro Puleri, Marianna Rosati, Gabriele Rosati, Riccardo Saggese, Elisa Selmi, Elvira Todaro, Angel Villa Núñez, Charlotte White.
Direction and Writing
Firenza Guidi
Original Live Music
David Murray
Head Rigger
Duncan Cunningham
Costumes
Firenza Guidi, Emily Redsell
The Whale and props
Emily Lower
Lights
Leif LePage
Lighting rental
F.M. Allestimenti
Sound rental
Music Outlet
Assistant Rigger
Daniele Milano
Scenic carpentry
Antonio Mori, Alessandro Puleri, Lorenzo Rossi
Puppets
Pietro Canovai, Lucia Dominici
Seamstress
Bruna Pieragnoli
Photographic Documentation
Aurelio Cupelli, Mauro Menichetti
Video documentation
Damiano Baccetti, Daniel Casalini
Administration and assistant director
Riccardo Saggese
Cooks
Monica Bencini, Cinzia Valori, Rosa Filomarino
Organization and logistics
Elia Bocciardi
Communication and organization
Pietro Canovai
Interns
Leonardo Begliomini, Elia Bocciardi, Pietro Canovai, Valentina Salvadori
We thank Comune di Fucecchio, Marco Colibazzi, Francesca Santini, Gilberto Arpioni and Vittorio Canovai.
Original Live Music
David Murray
Costumes
Firenza Guidi, Emily Redsell
Lighting rental
F.M. Allestimenti
Scenic carpentry
Antonio Mori, Alessandro Puleri, Lorenzo Rossi
Photographic Documentation
Aurelio Cupelli, Mauro Menichetti
Cooks
Monica Bencini, Cinzia Valori, Rosa Filomarino
Direction and Writing
Firenza Guidi
The Whale and props
Emily Lower
Sound rental
Music Outlet
Puppets
Pietro Canovai, Lucia Dominici
Video documentation
Damiano Baccetti, Daniel Casalini
Organization and logistics
Elia Bocciardi
Interns
Leonardo Begliomini, Elia Bocciardi, Pietro Canovai, Valentina Salvadori
Head Rigger
Duncan Cunningham
Lights
Leif LePage
Assistant Rigger
Daniele Milano
Seamstress
Bruna Pieragnoli
Administration and assistant director
Riccardo Saggese
Communication and organization
Pietro Canovai
We thank Comune di Fucecchio, Marco Colibazzi, Francesca Santini, Gilberto Arpioni and Vittorio Canovai.
Thirty-five years on from the first International School of Performance, Fucecchio is immersed in the world of “The Melancholy of Resistance” by Nobel Prize-winning author László Krasznahorkai.
A small Hungarian town is thrown into turmoil by the arrival of a circus troupe and their “world’s largest whale”. This novelty provides the pretext for overturning the established order and setting in motion the revolt that had been simmering for some time.
At the heart of the show lies a world adrift, rife with chaos, anticipation and unease, yet also offering the possibility of rebirth. A realm suspended between reality and a dreamlike universe, in which gazing up at the sky and the stars becomes a potential escape route and a source of hope.
Firenza Guidi, August 2026.
