Alessandro Serra Stages Oedipus in the Ancient Greek Dialect of Grecanico
Alessandro Serra's "Tragùdia – il canto di Edipo" premiered on October 18, 2024, at Arena del Sole in Bologna during the Opening ERT event. This show originally launched in Budapest in April 2024 and has already won multiple awards at the 64th International Theater Festival MESS, including Golden Laurel Wreaths for best show, best director, and best actress, awarded to Chiara Michelini. Serra chose to use Grecanico, an ancient Greek dialect from Calabria, to emphasize the myth’s universal themes and avoid typical Freudian interpretations. The production combines Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex" and "Oedipus at Colonus," featuring a unique set of large wooden panels. The tour is set to run across Italy until March 2025.
Key facts
- Alessandro Serra's 'Tragùdia – il canto di Edipo' premiered in Italy on October 18, 2024, at Arena del Sole in Bologna.
- The play debuted in Budapest in April 2024 and won three Golden Laurel Wreaths at the 64th International Theater Festival MESS.
- Chiara Michelini won best actress at MESS for her role in the production.
- The text is written in Grecanico, an ancient Greek dialect spoken in Calabria, translated by poet Salvino Nucera.
- The production combines Sophocles' 'Oedipus Rex' and 'Oedipus at Colonus' into one performance.
- The set consists of three large wooden panels with trapdoors and openings.
- Visual references include Flemish painting, Rothko's gray/black canvases, and early 20th-century family photographs.
- The show will tour Italy until March 2025.
Entities
Artists
- Alessandro Serra
- Chiara Michelini
- Salvino Nucera
Institutions
- Sardegna Teatro
- Teatro Bellini
- Emilia Romagna Teatro ERT / Teatro Nazionale
- Fondazione Teatro Due Parma
- Compagnia Teatropersona
- Fondazione I Teatri – Reggio Emilia
- International Theater Festival MESS
- Arena del Sole
- Artribune
Locations
- Bologna
- Italy
- Budapest
- Hungary
- Calabria
- Reggio Calabria
- Aspromonte