The show

A boy and a girl meet by chance in a public garden and start talking. They both tell about their past: two very different pasts.
She is the daughter of a wealthy family, but perhaps a little too bigoted and closed-minded. A family that sees in its daughter the possibility of realising dreams that are, however, only those of her parents, who are unable to recognise in their daughter a person with her own capacity to want and desire. And here are born the discussions and the quarrels, above all with the father, the misunderstandings with a mother too weak, here is born the uneasiness of the daughter, symptoms that will then lead to a violent and dangerous reaction. He, on the other hand, is a boy who comes from a distant and poor country, who has crossed the sea and experienced all sorts of mental and physical abuse, a boy in search of a well-being that he could not have in his country of origin.

Two different stories, but both told to raise questions, to pose problems, to seek solutions together. Both to talk about the Charter of the Rights of the Child.

This show particularly takes into consideration the following articles of the Charter of the Rights of the Child:

• Art. 6 – you have the right to live
• Art. 7 – You have the right to a name that must be officially recognised by the government. You have the right to a nationality (to belong to a country)
• Art. 12 – you have the right to speak your mind and adults must listen to you and take you seriously
• Art. 14 – your parents should help you decide what is right and wrong and what is best for you
• Art. 32 – You have the right to protection from work that harms you, your health and your education. If you work, you have the right to security and to be paid fairly

The show

On her thirteenth birthday Anne receives a notebookas a present, which becomes her secret diary, addressed to Kitty, her imaginary friend to whom she confides her thoughts. The diary is Anne’s only chance to express herself, to tell her experiences and thoughts.

But above all, Anne’s diary describes life during the two years she, her family and four other people, all Jewish, lived in hiding from the Nazi persecution, before being betrayed and deported. Anne tells us about her way of resisting the horrors of history, her tenacious attempt to remain happy despite everything. Anne remains locked in her secret hiding place just as her body is changing, her feelings are changing and becoming more complicated. She is a teenager: sometimes she is still a child, sometimes she seems grown up.

Holed up in the attic of her father’s former factory, Anne discovers love, makes fun of people she dislikes, asks questions that are bigger than herself and, when she is very sad, dreams of places without war.

Anne observes everything from the skylight on the roof. She sees all the evils of the world, sees the poor begging for money and the Nazis loading up the Jews on trucks. From the window high up there, Anne seems to be spying on us too, wondering if we are not all a bit the same. After all, not even a hundred years have passed since she had to hide in that shelter in Amsterdam.

Many wars still surround us and hatred is once again stirring in Europe. From that refuge, Anne holds out her hand to the audience and seems to tell us not to be afraid, to still believe in humanity as she did, because without dreams and hope, nothin will ever change.

In the scenic tale we will discover Anne’s true story, what she lived and felt during the hiding period and in the last days of her life.

Through the study of original documents and studies carried out over all these years, the figure of Anne will be revealed to the eyes of the children: a courageous girl who was able to put into words much more mature than herself the events that were overwhelming her world.

The show

Once upon a time … there was a king. No, once upon a time there was a piece of wood. Not even. Once upon a time there was the theater … The show is about to begin. The audience is already seated. Enter the actor with the inevitable suitcase and a big nose. And here comes the actor with the inevitable suitcase and another big nose. “You already said that!” our little readers will say. “I know” I reply, but the actors are two, with two suitcases and two noses and both are firmly determined to tell, alone, the story of the puppet Pinocchio …

Immediately they begin to quarrel, nose to nose, about who will have to tell it and who will play the part of Pinocchio. The suitcases are opened and our “journey for noses” starts. Yes, because Pinocchio is nothing more than a wooden child, with a nose he is ashamed of. But the whole world is made up of noses, like the cherry red nose of Geppetto, the big nose of Mangiafuoco, not to mention the noses of the Cat and the Fox. Little Pinocchio, carried away by his curiosity and his pranks, will have to make a fantastic journey before returning, finally transformed into a real child, to the house of his father Geppetto …

Two actors, two suitcases, infinite noses and a great classic of children’s literature. Pinocchio represents the initiation rite of a child who wants to become part of society. To do this, like all children of the well known fairy tales, he will have to leave the house and face the world, travel through the villages of Toys or Acchiappacitrulli, deal with fears (Mangiafuoco) with conscience (Grillo Parlante) with friendship (Candlewick) and with the most varied swindlers (the Cat and the fox), only after passing these tests will he finally enter adulthood (in the novel represented by the “transformation” into a child) to take care, in turn, of his own affections (the father Geppetto and the Blue Fairy). The two actors will tell the story with the help of small objects, masks, noses, puppets, stealing the parts, improvising and maybe in the end they will understand that, perhaps, to tell it in two you have twice as much fun.

Based on one of Oscar Wilde’s best-known fairy tales, the show tells the story of a deep friendship that is born between a swallow and a prince.

The show

Taken from one of Oscar Wilde’s best-known fairy tales, the show tells the story of a deep friendship that is born between a swallow and a prince, now a statue embellished with precious jewels.

Despite the imminent arrival of winter, the swallow remains to help the prince distribute his wealth to the poor and dispossessed of the city, of which the prince had never noticed when he was a prince in flesh and blood, because he was forced to live happily ever after within the walls of his impassable castle.

On the stage two actors who narrate, move, sing, and from whose hands, from nothing, as if by magic, using pieces of paper and cardboard, everything is born and the story unfolds.

Under the eyes of the viewer, clouds, swallows, angels, flowers, etc. are formed. All the shapes made with paper are easily reconstructed even by children. Friendship is a beautiful feeling that gratifies us but also requires a lot of dedication. Love gives us enthusiasm but it can also require a spirit of sacrifice. Great, noble feelings, which often find themselves dealing with a world made up of much smaller and meaner things.

We cannot say: it would take very little.

The myth of the birth of the world will be told through a theatrical show in which two actors and a musician will give life to a fascinating excursus among the European cosmogonies.
The myth of creation, the central element of the show, will be dealt with in a playful and engaging way.
A trip to Europe, in which each stage represents a country and its significant objects.
Common elements and similarities will be emphasized rather than differences. At the end of the show, where possible, the audience / family group will be able to attend a moment of creative writing that will then lead to the creation of a new cosmogony that will be staged, thanks to the technique of improvisation, by the actors of the show.

Requirements and technical indications

The show takes place in stages in an itinerant way. It does not require an audio and lighting system for this reason it is recommended for a maximum audience of 50 participants.
The audience enjoys the show standing up and moves from one stage to another.
Each stage lasts about 8-10 minutes.
Duration: 55 minutes.
Recommended age: from 6 years, with families, children and adults

The Legend of Great Birth

AIDA Foundation took part, together with six other countries, in the European project The Legend of Great Birth, a project that highlights the common elements between the various mythologies of the countries involved. Legends are handed down from generation to generation and form the basis of the identity of each country. Mythology hides a deep past and at the same time shapes the future of every people. Each country involved will create a theatrical performance with elements of the mythologies of most European traditions (Greek, Nordic, Celtic, Romanian, Latin, Slavic).

The play

Little Thumbling has managed to escape from the clutches of the Ogre thanks to his cunning. Thumbelina and boys like him, who know many stories, know how to deal with dangerous types such as wolves, witches and ogres. Not the Ogre, although he has lived through many stories. He has always thought only and exclusively about filling his belly. And a full belly may be a momentary satisfaction, but in the long run it clouds the brain.

After a long time, Thumbelina wants to go and see what has become of that terrible Ogre who had tried to make a meal of him and his brothers, but who had then been cunningly tricked. A story that happened a long time ago, in Perrault’s time. Now that time has passed, Thumbelina is no longer afraid of the Ogre. He knows that he is much more cunning than the old, pot-bellied Homon-Eater-Children. But time has also passed for the Ogre who has become older, and perhaps a little wiser. Certainly weaker and more tired, and no longer scares anyone. He has also had to find a new job to earn a living and not be reduced to eating wild berries and mushrooms. Also because children no longer get lost in the woods.

But Thumbelina, once he has found his old “friend-enemy”, tells him a story to put him in a good mood: the story of a little boy who, together with his brothers, is abandoned in the woods and risks ending up under the teeth of a terrible Ogre. That story is set in the Magic Wood, where there are still young, frightening, slightly singing and dancing Ogres, who together with Wolves, Witches and Monsters terrorise children like him…… Guess what that story is! A Magic Wood, full of friends and nice, intelligent people and, above all, full of stories that can always teach … and put you in a good mood!

On Christmas night, all over the world, Santa Claus brings his gifts to children who have been good. The Italian children are the luckiest, because on the night between January 5 and 6 they receive other gifts: flying on a broomstick presents are brought by the Befana, a gruff but good old woman. But on 5 January many years ago, Italian children risked not getting any gifts…

Epiphany Eve is a magical night for all children, who await the arrival of gifts from the Befana. But poor Francisco is in danger of being left without the toy he has been longing for, a train called “The Blue Arrow”, because his parents don’t have the money for the Befana. The toys rebel against the old lady and on this magical night decide to go directly to Francesco.

The show tells this modern Christmas story by one of the greatest writers for children, and successfully brought to the big screen by Enzo D’Alò a few years ago. Inspired by the text by Gianni Rodari.