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We are glad to have “Donka- a letter to Chekhov”- a creation by Daniele Finzi Pasca, as a special guest at the 24th edition of the NTF.
30 October 2014, Articles
We are glad to have “Donka- a letter to Chekhov” – a creation by Daniele Finzi Pasca, as a special guest at the 24th edition of the NTF.
He is one of the few European directors whose shows make up true visual feasts, whether they be imaginary shows for one viewer or studio montages , grand productions in ample circus spaces or on stadiums / performances meant to bring people together, to created communal bases, resonances and emotion.
Newly renowned for designing Olympic opening ceremonies which have been broadcast the world over, Daniele Finzi Pasca- director, author, choreographer and clown- has created and directe over 25 shows with Teatro Sunil, which he founded in the 80’s and which applies the combined vision of the art of clowns, dance and acting, in a special technique which bears the name of “theatre of the soothing touch”.
Shows such as Rituale, Viaggio al Confine, Dialoghi col Sonno, Giacobbe, 1337, Te Amo or Visitatio describe a profound sense of humanity but also of its lust for playing.
In 2005, Finzi Pasca designs and directs the renowned Corteo with the Cirque du Soleil, a performance which has so far been seen by three million viewers. A year later he imagines and stages the 20th Closing Ceremony for the Winter Olympics in Turin, a production for which he received the Swiss Award in Show Business in 2006. The next year he signs off on Nebbia, a show in which the Teatro Sunil enjoyed as partners the artists of Cirque Éloize.
The prestigious publishing house, Casagrande, published his short prose anthology, Come Acqua allo Specchio , as well as the full translation of the play Viaggio al Confine . In 2008, the artist is awarded the Swiss Theatre Prize, and is also nominated for the European Theatre Award, at the XIII Edition.
In 2014, Daniele Finzi Pasca was requested to work on the Closing Ceremony for the Olympic Games in Sochi, as well as the Para-Olympics opening ceremony, also held in Russia.
An exceptional event, the presence of ‘Donka- a letter to Chekhov” in the NTF represents an homage brought by Pasca to the great Chekhov through a veritable visual event, a show of dance, acrobatics, juggling and fragile balancing acts with a lot to offer.
The director yet again delves deep within the life of Chekhov, in his writings and his diary, decoding his notes and comments, bestowing shape upon the famous and enigmatic silence that is Chekhov.
An extraordinary cast of international actors, decadent clowns, musicians, dancers and acrobats animate the stage, which the music of Maria Bonzanigo (having already arrived at the Festival) fills the hall, carrying us far off into distant Russia.
We listen to the accordion, waltzes, ancient romance and traditional choirs, while a whole array of Chekhovian characters are on display : eternal students, medics, dreamers, bachelors, young girls in mourning.
Moments of a lost world succeed one another, accompanied by the chirping of birds, the wind rustling through the branches, Chinese shadows and explosions of colour. “Continuous astonishment!” /the website – not merely boasting- of the Finzi Pasca Company informs.
“Donka- a letter to Chekhov” , text and direction by Daniele Finzi Pasca, is a 2010 production of the Finzi Pasca Company of Switzerland, the Chekhov International Theatre Festival, coproduced by Théâtre Vidy- Laussane and considered by the British weekly The Stage and “The Best Performance” and the “The Greatest Moment of the Year” in 2012.
In the Capital, the showings within the National Theatre Festival are scheduled to take place on the 29th and 30th of October, at 8.30 PM, at the Studio Hall of the National Theatre of Bucharest
PRESS RELEASE
UNITER