Short Theatre 2022 Explores Care Through Performance and Sound

The 2022 edition of Short Theatre, curated by Piersandra Di Matteo, took place in Rome from September 6 to 18, focusing on the theme of "care." The festival featured performances, video installations, exhibitions, and workshops, including a reading by Fiorenza Menni and accessibility measures like LIS translation. It also addressed topics such as menstruation and transgender issues. Two key performances were "Ashes" by Muta imago and "Jukebox 'Roma'" by Encyclopédie de la parole. "Ashes" is a sonic performance blending texts from Chekhov's "Three Sisters," Richard McGuire's graphic novel "Here," and everyday phrases from the performers' lives. It features Marco Cavalcoli, Monica Piseddu, Ivan Graziano, and Arianna Pozzoli, and references literary avant-garde traditions and electronic music by Alvin Curran. "Jukebox 'Roma'" collects real conversational audio from Rome residents in settings like trains, taxis, and WhatsApp, performed by actress Monica Demuru. The audience selects which audio to perform, creating a parody that softens the oral nature of the documents. The project references Chiara Guidi's concept of voice as matter. Short Theatre fosters experimentation and cooperation among artists, offering a field for reflection on contemporary performing arts contradictions.