Trinacria Theatre Company presents its inaugural theatrical production, La Storia di Colapesce at the Watertown Sons of Italy. The production is an original piece created and devised by the company during a four-week residency in Sicily, at San Placido Calonerò in the Messina region of Sicily.
The cast of La Storia di Colapesce is comprised of an ensemble of eight American theatre artists. The Trinacria Theatre Company’s mission is to use theatre as a tool to promote Sicilian history, heritage, and culture at home and abroad.
Company members reimagine the Sicilian folk legend of Colapesce, the tale of a fisherman’s son from Messina who spends so much of his time diving beneath the waves that he is said to be half-man, half-fish. News spreads of Colapesce’s incredible ability, and eventually reaches King Frederick the II of Sicily, who decides to put Colapesce’s powers of diving to the test. The King repeatedly sends Cola to the ocean floor, where he finds terrible things lurking in the deep, threatening to destroy the city of Messina. Trinacria Theatre Company reinvents this classic fable using a wide variety of theatrical story-telling techniques and conventions.
The bilingual performance was developed during a month-long residency in Sicily, during which time company members lived, worked, studied, and rehearsed at the Istituto San Placido Calonerò, in partnership with the Enoteca Provinciale Messina, two organizations dedicated to the promotion and preservation of local Sicilian heritage.
From August 16-20, La Storia di Colapesce is also to be performed completely free of charge for the Sicilian public in five touring locations in the region of Messina: Piazza San Nicola in the village of Pezzolo; the Museum of Sicilian Clothing & Fashion in the town of Mirto; the Church of St. Stefano in the village of Santo Stefano Briga; the Istituto San Placido Calonerò; and the Castle Rufo Ruffo (built by King Frederick II) in the village of Scaletta Zanclea. The performance will also be toured to New York City where it will perform at INTAR Theatre.
Massachusetts performances take place at three different locations in the greater Boston area, in three communities with strong Italian presences: The Watertown Sons of Italy, Langone Park in the North End, and St. John’s Episcopal Church in Gloucester. The Watertown Sons of Italy is located at 520 Pleasant Street, Watertown, MA 02472.
The cast features performers from both Boston and New York, including Josephine Cooper, Sean Devare, Quinton Kappel, Elena Kritter, Mariagrazia LaFauci, Kathleen Lewis, Dario Sanchez, and Max Sklar.
Suggested ticket prices are $18 general admission, $15 students and seniors, and $10 for Sons of Italy members. All ticket prices are recommended, and admission is on a pay-what-you-can basis.
Show Dates:
Friday, Aug. 26, 8 p.m. at the Watertown Sons of Italy 520 Pleasant Street, Watertown, MA 02472
Saturday, Aug. 27 at 1 p.m. at Langone Park in the North End Commercial Street, Boston 02109
Saturday, Aug. 27 at 7pm at St. John’s Episcopal Church* 48 Middle St, Gloucester, MA 01930
*A portion of the proceeds from this performance will benefit St. John’s Youth Ministry.
Purchase tickets in advance here: http://lastoriadicolapesce.brownpapertickets.com
More info is available at www.trinacriatheatre.com.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TrinacriaTheatre
Instagram: www.instagram.com/trinacriatheatreco