We hear it all the time – the young people nowadays are” lazy, no initiative, no respect, just can’t be bothered”. But it is never fair to put everyone in the same category, since people are NOT all the same. And although some youngsters may very well represent the “couch potato” group, we have to say that in little old Bedonia, the young generation is pulling its socks up and doing stuff – plenty of it! The latest additions to local administration are contributing with new ideas and fresh approaches to old problems, but all around the valley, our “kids” are putting creativity out there, in more ways than one. We already spoke about the abundance of musical talent that our area seems to produce in our last article, but art does not stop at music. Another local activity well worthy of a mention is the “Laboratorio Teatrale Chi è di Scena?” – Who’s on Scene? – which began 5-6 years ago as part of the middle school programme in Bedonia. The teacher in charge of the project was Sicilian Anna Guzzetta, amateur theatre enthusiast. The group got off to a good start, but unfortunately risked breaking up prematurely due to the fact that government financing was ultimately denied, making it impossible to continue the adventure – at least at school. So Ms Guzzetta made a decision; the project would carry on with private sponsorship, in the hope that the effort would be appreciated.
And it seems that the lady knew what she was doing, because since then, the group has increased in number, now including approximately 20 actors and actresses, with ages ranging from 11 to 30 or more. Their works are basically comedies, drawing inspiration from the classical Italian films of the 50/60’s, with Totò, Vittorio de Sica, Alberto Sordi and the like. But their aim is to create a “hybrid” humour, in taking American/English classics, and adding an unrefined, Italian touch to them…which is exactly what they presented last Saturday in Bedonia. Who remembers “The father of the Bride”, starring Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor, in which the father of a young woman deals with the emotional pain of her getting married, along with the financial and organizational trouble of arranging the wedding? Take the basic storyline, add some extravagant characters, Italian mannerisms and much play on words – you have a hilarious play which made a houseful of spectators hoot with laughter for more than two hours!
These actors, mostly youngsters, had been rehearsing since September in order to be ready for June, and the enthusiasm and commitment they put into this activity is not only heartwarming, but immensely positive if we stop to consider that they are far happier spending their time in learning their lines than hanging around the streets. We had a chat with Mattia Tonon, the naturally comical actor who played the father of the bride, to get a better idea of what this drama group is really all about. He told us that the roles are established simply by determining whose personality fits best into the character. “We are not professionals”, Mattia said, “so we do not have the ability of an experienced performer to totally become that character”, hence the decision is made the other way around -by partially molding the character around the personality of the actor! It seems to work wonderfully, if Saturday’s show was anything to go by!
Mattia also spoke about the bond which develops between the members of the group, and the passion they all share for acting. He emphasised the harmonious atmosphere which reigns amongst them, and how important it is to have respect for one another. He added “We do it for fun, but at the same time, we want our fun to be transformed into a tangible social contribution of some kind”. This was obtained by devolving the proceeds of the evening, minus the production expenses, to ABEO LIGURIA ONLUS, an association which supports children with oncological blood illnesses, based at the renowned Gaslini children’s hospital of Genova.
Our compliments to Ms Guzzetta, the heart and motor of the group, and a very well done, keep it up – to all the young people who spend evenings going over lines instead of playing with cell phones and computers……way to go kids!