"Beast On The Moon" in Italy: A Conversation Between Director & Actress (Translated)
In anticipation of the first show of Beast on the Moon in Brescia, Italy, Richard shares with us an interview held between director Andrea Chiodi and lead actress Elisabetta Pozzi, where they discuss the nature of the show and how they've connected with it:
Pozzi: What can we say about BEAST ON THE MOON, this text of Kalinoski that is, in reality, not only a text of the theatre…
Chiodi: No, no, it’s true: it’s [an act of] responsibility to bring history to the stage, because here we’re dealing with putting a small piece of history…
Pozzi: …which is discussed in fact very little…
Chiodi: …yes, very little, a piece of history that describes the massacre of the Armenians, a piece of history that is atrocious and that is recounted…
Pozzi: …recounted in a manner…
Chiodi: …through a relationship between a man and a woman who carry this tragedy in their persons, in their very lives, Aram and Seta…
Pozzi: …Seta, the character I interpret, is a character full of optimism in this story, despite the tragedy, in this story that – as the translator, Beppe Chierici, says – is a story cut in the fabric of humanity… of humanity, of heart and emotion, but also the madness of human history that sinks the experience of being human in tragedy…
Chiodi: …yes, a tragedy that is realized on stage very powerfully also by the other character, Aram (Fulvio Peppe) – and then something happens – everything is told via the words of an old man – we encounter him that way (Alberto Mancioppi) – and the arrival of this little boy (Luigi Bignone) in the story of this couple…
Pozzi: …in America – all of this transpires in America…
Chiodi: Exactly.
Pozzi: And…well, we are deeply moved
Chiodi: …Yes, we have tried…
Pozzi: …experiencing very strong emotions
Chiodi: Yes, because you’re dealing with man’s profoundest heart, within a setting that is almost neutral, as if they appeared from photographs, with costumes that evoke a
bygone era of the Armenians and the music that accompanies and describes the entire play. . .
To watch this interview, take a look at the clip below. Keep in mind that its native language is Italian.
For an additional video where the cast and crew provide their insight on the makings of this play, please watch the second Italian clip below.
