Spettacolo “Visioni di Roma” Has Successful Debut

By Blair Mlnarik

Rome, April 24 – On Monday night, the students of JCU’s Italian Theater Workshop class presented “Visioni di Roma,” the culmination of their semester-long work in Italian 305. 

The original theater presentation was a combination of short monologues interspersed with music, dancing, running, with some wrestling thrown in for good measure.

Beginning with shaking noisemakers and words shouted in the dark, the interpretive and passionate performances consistently earned laughter from the packed and appreciative audience in JCU's Aula Magna hall. 

The student-written monologues were based on their own experiences, stories, and reflections on Rome. Also included were selections of poetry by Pier Pasolini and JCU faculty member Maria Basile. These selections functioned in collaboration with the monologues to express the theme of changing perspectives and shifting viewpoints within personal life.   

This year’s theme, a vision of Rome, covered a wide range of aspects from market shopping and the city's famous monuments to nightlife and gypsy camps.  Each one presented a unique insight into study-abroad life amidst Italian culture. 

According to director Rosa Filardi, the four year-old program allows the students to author their own pieces.  Then, the rest of the semester is spent coaching and transforming those initial works into a cohesive theatrical production. 

Filardi was particularly impressed by this group’s willingness to take risks with their acting.  For many, it was their first theatrical performance. 

Considering the sixteen students’ inexperience and the extreme individuality of each person’s account of Roman life, actor Regina Gesicki said she was actually “shocked by how seamlessly it all came together.”