Participatory Theatre Projects  

Rita Maffei

CREDITS
year
2023

The experience of participatory theatre has always been part of the program at CSS.
For over twenty years we have often opened our production venues to citizens, audience groups and particular communities (young people and students, cultural associations, prisoners, mental health departments, over 65s), inviting them to participate in artistic workshops which bring together professionals and lovers of contemporary theatre, raising awareness and active participation among the many audience members who engage with our cultural activities.

Rita Maffei has dedicated herself in recent years to numerous participatory theatre projects in Udine, working with citizens of all ages, from 11 to 80 years old, women and men from different backgrounds, and with refugees and asylum seekers at the Fondazione Città della pace, in Potenza.
Her work has resulted in shows such as N46°- E13° (with 100 citizens from Udine);  Lady Europe 2.0, part of the collective project EU Europe Utopia which opened Mittelfest 17; Ufficio Ricordi Smarriti, that was performed for 6 months; Human Link with refugees and asylum seekers; L'Assemblea, a show with 80 girls and women on stage to commemorate the events of 1968 and the achievements of women; Sissignora! exploring female leadership for Mittelfest 19; Stories of People on a Journey with refugees and Italian citizens in Matera in 2019.
In 2020 she will produce MurMur for the University of L'Aquila and Gli altri for the Teatro Contatto season in Udine.

L'Assemblea, a work of participatory theatre for girls and women exploring the female condition, is a format that can be implemented in other locations and created with participants from a specific city or area through workshops with local people.