Monday 18 June 2012, 20.30 - Teatro della Pergola

The 24 Hour Plays 
featuring Tony Bennett in performance

Entertaining, unpredictable and surprising!  This impromptu evening promises to be an unforgettable experience, consisting of four short plays all created within 24 hours of the performance itself. 

Legendary superstar Tony Bennett performs four songs that create the inspiration for each play, featuring a star-studded array of actors including  Monica Guerritore, Umberto Orsini and Micaela. Renowned directors Gabriele Lavia and Maurizio Scaparro will team up with fellow directors and playwrights to take us on an exciting and unmissable journey of music and theatre.

It works like this. On the evening before the show, the group of 4 playwrights, 4 directors, 8-12 actors, Tony Bennett and his pianist Lee Musiker, gather at the theatre. Everyone shares a prop, a costume, their special skills and their stage dreams with their fellow cast members and crew.  Tony Bennett reveals the four songs he will be performing!

The writers draw from a hat to see which play they will be assigned. Inspired by the props, costumes and talent share, the writers stay up all night to each compose a 15-minute play. The following morning, the directors read the plays, choose their favourites to direct and assemble the cast.

The cast meet and quickly get to work rehearsing. Everyone runs through a technical rehearsal. That evening, ink barely dry, the curtain opens and 4 new plays interspersed with 4 songs performed by Tony Bennett are presented to the live audience!

CAST

Tony Bennett

Presenter
Maria Amelia Monti

Playwrights
Alberto Severi
Edoardo Erba
Roberto Cavosi
Stefano Massini

Directors
Alessandro D'Alatri
Ferdinando Ceriani
Gabriele Lavia
Maurizio Scaparro

Assistant Directors
Alice Guidi
Davis Tagliaferro
Giovanna Guida
Marco Castagnoli

Actors
Cristina Borgogni
Enrico Fink
Federica Di Martino
Francesco Montanari
Fulvio Cauteruccio
Gabriele Lavia
Lina Sastri
Lucilla Mininno
Luisa Cattaneo
Micaela
Michele Andrei
Monica Guerritore
Paolo Lorimer
Umberto Orsini

Songs sung in English.  Plays performed in Italian.

The performance is in aid of the Meyer Foundation.