Tag: theatre

An (accessible) night at the Scala

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December 7th is approaching and, in Milan, this means the city patron saint’s (St. Ambrose) festival and the season opening at the most famous theatre in the city: the Scala. This year, the opera selected for the premiere is “Tosca” by Giacomo Puccini, the heartbreaking story of the love between the singer Floria Tosca and Mario Cavaradossi (do you remember the famous aria “Vissi d’arte”?).

Would you like to attend one of the opera performances in the Scala’s evocative setting, but you’re worried about the accessibility of the theatre itself and of the seats you’d be assigned to? I’ve got good news for you: the theatre makes some seats in the parterre area (where accessibility is favoured by some ramps and which has also a bathroom equipped for disabled people) available for spectators with a motoric disability (whether they use a wheelchair or not) and their companions, in all the performances. In detail, there are:

  • 3 seats reserved to spectators using a wheelchair (and their companions)
  • 1 seat reserved to spectators with a severe disability or reduced motoring capacity (plus their companion)

The Scala Theatre

The ticket for the companion is free, while the one for the disabled person is sold at dedicated price, in accordance with the following list:

  • Opera: starting from € 80
  • Ballet: starting from € 50
  • Symphonic concert: starting from € 40
  • Piano recital: € 40
  • Singing recital: € 17
  • Christmas concert: € 60
  • December 7th: € 250

The Scala Theatre - inside

Are you wondering how to book your seat at the Scala? For December 7th, we’re tight on time, now, but you can still attend an encore performance of the opera or another of the performances included in this season’ programme. All you have to do, once you have found the one you’re interested in on the theatre website and made sure that the ticket sales have started, is to get in touch with the Scala Central Ticket Office calling 02/88796112 to book your seat and buy the ticket. Always remember to specify, while booking, if you use a wheelchair or need a seat: you’ll avoid problems during the performance!

Did I tempt you to watch “Tosca” at the Scala? Well: download its libretto to follow the performance as best as you can!

Theatre-therapy, to get to know and express yourself

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Theatre has always been seen as a sort of “purifying ritual” (not for nothing, Aristoteles used to say that the theatre goal was, precisely, catharsis), a form of psychotherapy, meant as an expression of human soul, with all of its shades and contradictions. The theatre-therapy arises from this perspective: a path of cure and personal growth based on a “mise-en-scene” of your own past through improvisation performance, combining acting (first, the famous Stanislavskij method) and psychology (from Winnicott to Freud and Jung).

Theatre-therapy

Theatre-therapy can be used almost for everybody, from children to elderly people, including people with psychic disabilities. Of course, the therapy’ goals change based on its addressees: with children, the focus in mostly on an educational perspective, while, when it comes to disabled people, the goal is rehabilitation. But, generally, the main goal of this technique is harmonizing the relationship among body, voice and mind, in the relationship with other, yourself and your own creativity. How does it work, concretely?

Theatre-therapy children

Guided by a theatre-therapist, a specialized psychologist and actor who has attended a specific three-year course, people are helped to express their past, gradually overtaking any block to harmonize with themselves and with the others and socialize, using body, voice and mime. In case of neurotic or borderline people, the therapist’ task is to help them developing their adult self. Throughout the sessions of the theatre-therapy path, people get to know themselves and the others, face their own fears and weaknesses, become aware of their own limits, learning not to judge themselves nor the others, accepting themselves and the others just the way they are. That’s possible also thanks to improvisation, that enables to express in a freer way their own past, protected by “pretending” to be someone else.

theatre-therapy with disabled people

Theatre-therapy paths are wide spreading more and more, all around Italy. If you want to stay up-to-date about all the activities, please visit the FIT (Italian Theatre-Therapy Federation) website. Are you ready to go on stage?

 

Theatre, what a passion!

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Together with music concerts, another typical summer activity are outdoor theatre performances, combining the beauty and the artistic value of the performances with the suggestion offered by locations rich of story and culture.

But is an old Greek or Roman theatre accessible? The answer is yes, luckily! All “classic” appointments for the aficionados in Italy are fully accessible to people with motoric disabilities as well. As always, you simply have to get informed and send well in advance the documents needed.

Here you have some examples.

  • The Istituto Nazionale del Dramma Antico (National Ancient Drama Institute, ndt) yearly organizes, in the evocative setting of the Greek theatre in Syracuse performances of the most important tragedies in the big Greek tradition. This year, the programme includes Euripides’ “Alcesti”, Sophocle’s “Elettra” and Seneca’s “Fedra”. The Greek theatre is, now, accessible to motoric disabled people, who can attend the performances for free, together with a companion, presenting the documents certifying their disability. For more info, you can contact the Fondazione INDA Onlus calling 0931/487211 or sending an e-mail to indafondazione@legpec.it, or using their official profiles on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.
  • Climbing up the peninsula, also the Festival dei Due Mondi (Two Worlds Festival, ndt), the traditional appointment taking place in Spoleto between June and July, is open to disabled people, families with children and over 65. For all these groups, there are dedicated facilitations and discounts on the ticket cost: for children who are less than 5 years old and not-walking disabled people, the entrance is free (for the disabled person’ companion, the ticket has a facilitated fare, that can be bought calling the festival call center); for children who are less than 13 years old there’s the offer “Invita un adulto a teatro” (“Invite an adult to the theatre”, ndt), allowing both the child and the “invited” adult to attend the performances paying just 11 € in total; from 14 to 30 years old, you can benefit from a 50% discount on all the shows (subject to reserved tickets availability); for over 65 spectators, instead, the reduction is 20%. To benefit from these reduced fares, you must buy the tickets through the festival call center (calling 0743/776644 or sending an e-mail to biglietteria3@festivaldispoleto.com) or at the ticket offices available in Spoleto.
  • Would you like to attend a show in the wonderful setting of the Verona Arena? Also, in this case, you simply have to call the ticket office at 045/596517 or send an e-mail to biglietteria@arenadiverona.it. The disabled people and their companions will benefit from a reduced fare and accessible seats (in the parterre area for spectators using wheelchairs, in other suitable areas, according to the availability, for spectators with other motoric issues). Moreover, the 4th and 18th gates allow accessing the theatre avoiding architectonical barriers (the 18th gate has a metal ramp too).

What are you waiting for? Let’s go and reserve your seat for your favourite show!

Greek Theatre

The Greek Theatre in Syracure