Disconcert for rights

Article 1. Human dignity is inviolable. It must be respected and protected.

Two actresses, Agata Tomšič and Emanuela Villagrossi, give body to the articles of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, based on the constitutional traditions of the Member States and the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedom. They embody two metamorphic figures, perhaps two jurists of the future, who question themselves on key concepts such as Dignity, Freedom, Equality, Solidarity, Citizenship, Justice, verifying their effective implementation and respect. They dialogue with some metal pltes played by themselves and reworked by Davide Sacco’s live electronics in a sound setting inspired by the sounds of mines and steel mills, on which the EU economy was based at its birth, when it was defined as CECA – European coal and steel community, one year after the signing of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and three years after the approval of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly.

What is a right? How is it protected?
How does the citizen relate to the legal, geographical and political limits with which our society is organized?

These are some of the questions that we make resound in the encounter with the spectators through a plurilingual dramaturgy, in which word and sound play to exchange each other role, in constant dialogue with the video.
Another fundamental element is in fact the montage of images created by collaborating with the artist-activist Gianluca Costantini, drawings punctuate the monstrosity of our present every day. They are juxtaposed with actual video footage that helps to unmask how the wonderful rights declared on paper by our democracies are disregarded in practice.

concept and space Davide Sacco and Agata Tomšič / ErosAntEros
with Agata Tomšič and Emanuela Villagrossi*
dramaturgy Agata Tomšič
direction, video, music and light design Davide Sacco
drawings Gianluca Costantini
costumes Laura Dondoli
consultancy for sound devices Tempo Reale
technical direction and lighting consultancy Loris Giancola
lectern Stefano Franzoni
tailoring Fondazione Luzzati – Teatro della Tosse

production ErosAntEros – POLIS Teatro Festival
in collaboration with Fondazione Teatro della Toscana
in residency at Teatro Studio Scandicci, Teatro Era Pontedera, Tempo Reale Firenze
with the support of Municipality of Ravenna and Region Emilia-Romagna
under the patronage of Amnesty International – Italy

thanks to Pietro Valenti, Marco De Marinis, Andrea Maestri, Gabriela Jacomella, Alessandro Santoro and the community of Le Piagge, Miriam and the girls of Libera Scandicci, the committee of the Viale dell’Umanità e dei Diritti Umani of Scandicci, Paolo Baldassini, Lorenzo Gheri, Dino Lorimer and all the people who have nurtured the conception of the show

premiere October 18th-20th 2019, Teatro Studio, Scandicci
duration 45 minutes

*the performance was created in 2019 with Silvia Pasello, then replaced in 2021

winning project of the call for residencies of the national theater Teatro della Toscana at Teatro Studio Scandicci

third stage of the CONFINI project which will end in July 2020 with the debut of an international co-production of ErosAntEros with Fondazione Luzzati – Teatro della Tosse, TNL – Théâtre National du Luxembourg, Ravenna Festival, in collaboration with Campania Teatro Festival