2018 – Italy, Portugal, UK

Cetona

Atlantide Teatri Sommersi
In 2018, in the province of Siena, Tuscany, the project of Social Theater starts, promoted by the Monte dei Paschi di Siena Foundation “Atlantide teatri sommersi”. For this project, Laura Fatini directs a laboratory at the secondary school of the “Istituto Comprensivo di Cetona” and she thinks that Giufà would feel at home there. Cetona is small, and it hosts a reception center in which are hosted a lot of African youngsters, modern-day Giufà-s that fled or travel edlooking for a better life. What better occasion for our storytelling friend?   

The workshop goes just fine: the Giufà stories enchantthe school students and the african migrants, that with patience and enthusiasm play with them and discover that you don’t have to speak italian to laugh together.
In September, in the annual meeting in Florenc, the project is selected among the national best practices of theatre in schools.

Brighton and Glyndebourne

The team gets together one more time in Brighton to better define the project and prepare the meeting day with the artist at the Glyndebourne Opera House.
How to explain The Giufà Project to someone who wants to be a part of it? The simplest thing is to work and create together! That is what the artists did in the magnificent hall of the Glyndebourne Opera House; they met on the 4th of April in order to show everyone that, with their own art, how to enter the Giufa world.  

Monticchiello

In the wonderful setup of Monticchiello (Siena, Tuscany), The Giufà Project meets Atlantide teatri sommersi and the LoopLaLoop cooperative for a big theater meeting and party! 

Setubal

Festival de Musica de Setubal

The Giufà Project is ready: in May 2018, the website goes online thanks to the precious work of Marko and Irina (Serbia and Romania), meanwhile the organizing team goes to Setubal (Portugal) to participate at the “Festival de Musica de Setubal”, where, for the first time, the soundtrack of Giufà will be played live, written by Sarah Ross and sung by Maria João, an international Portuguese jazz singer.

Sarteano

Nelle scarpe di Giufà, written and directed by Laura Fatini

For a beautiful play you need beautiful costumes, so thanks to the ideas from the tailor of the Arrischianti, the Giufà costumes were created, in collaboration with Crune Lab, a tailoring cooperative for young migrants, that, mixing african fabrics with european models, gave life to the magnificent costumes of the play!
In July, finally “Nelle Scarpe di Giufà” goes on stage.

This show was an incredible adventure: with more than 30 actors, original music played live from the Giufà Ensemble. Directed by Sarah Ross after a month long residence, sets projected and painted by Ella Squirrell, who also participated to the residence, costumes sewed by african boys and girls, paid thanks to a crowdfunding, friends who came from England to see the play and celebrate with us all together at the end of a journey, and at the beginning of a voyage.
From there, Giufà started to travel around the world with his red door on his back.

Battle

Two weeks in England, in Battle, to explore the voyage topic, always following the footprints of Giufà, through theater, arts, poetry, physical theater workshops, and parkour performances.  

Salve

Community theater with The Giufa Project

Giufà goes for a week in Apulia, for the first community theater workshop, searching for new stories and new exponents: the small town of Salve welcomes the project with enthusiasm and a final show through the streets of the city. 

Rondine Cittadella della Pace

Laura Fatini directs a theater workshop on The Giufà Project in Rondine Cittadella della Pace, combining encounter and conflict resolution, the pivot of all the activities of the small-town near Arezzo, which welcomes students from all over the world.