Adriana Toman's new play, inspired by the events at the Ferramonti camp in Tarsia, will premiere on Friday, October 30th at 8:30 PM at the Piccolo Teatro dell'Unical in Rende (Cosenza). "Mio cognato Mastrovaknich" (My Brother-in-Law Mastrovaknich), written by Ciro Lenti, directed by Adriana Toman, and starring Marco Silani and Paolo Mauro, will be performed. The play is a production of the cultural association "Arciere," distributed by the Lilli Funaro Foundation, and sponsored by Arcigay of Cosenza, Reggio Calabria, and Catanzaro.
“"This is a show that tells a beautiful story of Calabrian solidarity," says director Adriana Toman. "A place, Ferramonti, too often forgotten by history. This show reveals the greatness of soul of the Calabrian people. A journey that leads spectators through the progressive metamorphosis of the two characters and emphasizes the value of hospitality.".
“"My Brother-in-Law Mastrovaknich" is set in 1943. In the Ferramonti concentration camp, Uccio (played by Marco Silani), a young local blacksmith convicted of common crimes, is mistakenly locked up in the homosexual barracks (who at the time were persecuted as "enemies of the race"). The young man is deeply concerned that slanderous rumors will spread throughout the village, calling into question his virility. In his cell, he meets Mastrovaknich, a Polish professor (played by Paolo Mauro) who has been living in Italy for some time. Their relationship is initially decidedly conflictual, largely because of Uccio's prejudices.
“"It will be a show with a very entertaining atmosphere," says author Lenti. "Uccio embodies the prejudices and preconceptions of a rural culture. The two characters will clash and then meet, overcoming the cultural barriers that separated them. I tried to write an act of love towards women and an act towards diversity.".
“"We've created an event with a strong social focus," says director Toman. "Proof of this are the valuable collaborations we've established with the Lilli Funaro Foundation and the patronage of Arcigay Calabria."”
An unpublished text that explores a tragic, epochal phenomenon through the uniquely "Calabrese" story (unrecognized by major historians) of Ferramonti di Tarsia. Between June and September 1940, at the behest of the Fascist regime, an internment camp for Jews was established in this small town in the province of Cosenza. It was an internment camp, not a "concentration" camp, known to the Jewish community. Books have been written in Italy, but the history books have yet to find a proper place. A theatrical play that raises burning questions about the historical blindness of the Holocaust and the disarming relevance of the prejudices and preconceptions that triggered the Shoah.
Tickets are available for pre-sale at the Inprimafila agency (tel: 0984795699) in via Marconi, 140 – COSENZA
