The Legend of Europa

I pick up the thread of the story from my dear colleague Shadaan Felfeli, who brought us the diary from Sligo . It is now my task to tell you about the second phase of the project , this time “at home,” in Italy , from July 21 to 27, at the Teatro dell’Argine headquarters, the ITC Teatro of San Lazzaro. From the very start, I want to thank the entire staff of Teatro dell’Argine for their extraordinary hospitality and warm welcome. I am Sanam Naderi , Cre-Actor of the Italian group. Meeting the group again after almost two months — since May, when we had parted with great joy in Sligo — and seeing each other once more, full of enthusiasm , in Bologna, was very moving . The absence of the Brazilian actress from the Irish group, Tatiana dos Santos , in this second phase was a hard blow. The long waiting times for the Irish residence permit , which would allow her to leave and re-enter the country without problems, prevented her from being with us in this phase. Her absence — just lik...

Preparing the Creative Workshop in Bologna curated by Teatro dell’Argine Here in Athens, we do things this way. Our government favours the many instead of the few: that is why it is called a democracy. [...] Our laws provide equal justice for all [...] and poverty is no obstacle [...] We are free to live exactly as we please [...] Our city is open to the world, and we never expel a foreigner. Here in Athens, we do things this way. — Pericles, Speech to the Athenians on Democracy, 431 BCE Europa and Athens The Bologna — more precisely San Lazzaro — session of The Legend of Europa will draw inspiration from the part of the myth that unfolds in and around the city of Athens. King Aegeus has made a terrible pact with another king, Minos: to avoid the destruction of his city, he agrees to send every year seven young men and seven young women to Crete, to be sacrificed to the monster held in the Labyrinth of Knossos — the Minotaur. This creature, called Asterion, is none other than the son ...

Alongside THE LEGEND OF EUROPA, Border Crossings and Teatro dell’Argine are also collaborating on a Youth project under the Erasmus + programme, called PERFORMING POSSIBILITY, together with the YMCA in Cork and Opera di Padre Marella in Bologna.  Although this is a self-contained project in its own right, PERFORMING POSSIBILITY is also proving hugely helpful in researching material for the professional theatre work.   The young people in Cork, many of whom live in very remote rural areas of the county, have little experience of European travel, and few opportunities to encounter people their own age who live in different countries and diverse communities, particularly migrants and refugees. The young people at Opera di Padre Marella have often faced huge challenges in their journeys to Italy, and continue to encounter prejudice and bureaucratic difficulties as they attempt to forge new lives in Europe. The encounter between these very different groups is hugely valuable i...