VajontS: 130+ Italian Theaters Unite for 60th Anniversary of Vajont Disaster

On October 9, 2023, over 130 theaters across Italy will participate in VajontS, a nationwide theatrical vigil commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Vajont disaster. On October 9, 1963, 260 million cubic meters of rock fell from Monte Toc into the Vajont dam, creating a wave that destroyed five villages and killed at least 2,000 people. The project was conceived by Marco Paolini, who co-created the original 1993 play "Il racconto del Vajont" with Gabriele Vacis. Paolini, together with Marco Martinelli of Teatro delle Albe, adapted the text into VajontS, a flexible script intended for choral civic theater. Participating organizations can interpret and stage the script freely, involving artists and citizens. Paolini will be at Teatro Strehler in Milan, leading a relay reading with twenty narrators including actors Marta Cuscunà, Marco D'Agostin, Federica Fracassi, Lino Guanciale, and Milan mayor Giuseppe Sala, accompanied by a chorus of 200 citizens led by Diana Manea. Gabriele Vacis has entrusted the script to young actors of Compagnia PEM. All performances will pause at 10:39 PM for a moment of silence, marking the exact time the rock detached. The project is coordinated by the committee La Fabbrica del Mondo. Paolini stated that the Vajont story teaches about risk underestimation, especially relevant amid climate crisis. Vacis reflected on the evolution of narrative as a tool to reconcile with time and generations.