10 Years of Giufà

10 Years of The Giufà Project:
the theatre project returns to Sarteano to celebrate where it all began

SARTEANO – After travelling across Europe and the Mediterranean, The Giufà Project celebrates its anniversary with a special event in Sarteano, ten years after its founding, returning to the place where it all began: the Teatro Comunale degli Arrischianti.

Originally born as a theatre and education project in the schools of the Valdichiana Senese, The Giufà Project has grown into an international community theatre programme, recognised at European level, with activities, performances – including productions for the Festival Orizzonti 2015 and the Cantiere Internazionale d’Arte 2018 – and projects carried out in nine countries, from Albania to Finland, in collaboration with the European Parliament and various embassies. Today, after awards, travels and encounters, Giufà chooses to return to Sarteano not for a performance, but for a moment of sharing, meeting and celebration, open to the entire community.

Laura Fatini, creator and artistic director of the project, reflects:
“The Giufà Project would never have been born without the great generosity of the Arrischianti, who embraced the slightly crazy idea of creating a travelling performance that, in 2018, moved from the main square up to the Castle, with original music performed by the Giufà Ensemble and costumes created through a crowdfunding campaign by a cooperative of migrants. And to think that it all started with an end-of-workshop showcase in 2015! Since then, Giufà’s footsteps have taken me across Europe, along with many others. That is why we decided to celebrate the project’s 10th anniversary in Sarteano, returning to where it all began!”

The event will take place on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 December at the Teatro Comunale degli Arrischianti in Sarteano. The programme will begin on Saturday 20 December at 5.00 pm with “Do You Know Giufà?”, a presentation of the project and the activities developed over the past ten years, followed by a “Toast with Giufà” and, at 9.00 pm, a more strictly theatrical moment: “The Arrischianti Tell Giufà”, featuring Giufà’s stories told, sung and played by those who have brought them to the stage many times over the last decade.
Sunday will be the key moment to discover the methodology that won the 2022 Charlemagne Prize for European Youth, through “The Giufà Project Workshop”, a hands-on introduction to the tools of community theatre based on Giufà’s stories.

The President of the Nuova Accademia degli Arrischianti, Chiara Giorgi, underlined:
“As Arrischianti, we are deeply rooted in the local area; every day we work with the community, with associations and other organisations in Sarteano and the Valdichiana. At the same time, we are proud to be able to develop an international project that can truly call our theatre ‘home’.”

The two-day event will bring together artists, collaborators and friends of the project, with contributions and institutional greetings. With this return, The Giufà Project renews its bond with the Valdichiana Senese, reaffirming its vocation: to use theatre, storytelling and art as tools for dialogue, participation and community building.

For information
+39 331 789 1144 (also WhatsApp)
www.arrischianti.it – www.thegiufaproject.com

On social media
@thegiufaproject @NuovaAccademiaArrischianti