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Ischia’s theatre, Corrado Visone is winner with the export formula

The third edition of “Premio Aenaria” started on October 1st and ends on December 4th. In a short time it has become one of the most important theater festivals in Campania: from thirty requests of participation in the first year, today it counts more than seventy. This happens because Ischia, with its theater, is increasing its attractiveness. I met Corrado Visone, writer, director and actor who created it along with Enzo Boffelli, who first fought for having a theater on the island and is now the president of the association «Amici del Teatro», which “guides the whole structure”, confirms Enzo who wants to be able to replace the parterre and make the room complete. Corrado “likes to build emotions”.

Recently he has been
approaching the cinema – “I’m writing a short film” and is attracted by the theatrical comedy of Vincenzo Salemme and the drama of Neapolitan Mimmo Borrelli. In 2017 he will celebrate his twentieth year of acting, the 18th with the company «Gli uomini di mondo» which still has the original group. In these days with «Sabato, domenica e un’alba», they won the Campania Felix Award 2016, given by the Federazione Teatro Amatoriale della Campania as the best show for the wise reading of the text of Eduardo, directing and set design. They have secured their access to the grand prize of amateur theater that brings together the winners of the other regions of Italy and a place in the professional boards.
Engaged around Italy, they will move from Tuscany to Calabria with the comedy «Un posto fisso in paradiso».

I’m late.
Corrado is at the Teatro Polifunzionale of Ischia waiting for half an hour. I arrive and there is on his face a typical expressions and a “finally” just thought. With him, Enzo Boffelli. We make ourselves comfortable for the interview. Corrado smiles, Enzo does the same. Fortunately neither of them made it a drama.

Who is Corrado Visone?

A digger of clouds. I like to build gardens around the castles in the air and try to bring to Earth images, sensations, emotions that I carry inside. A playmaker after all, who likes to create strong links in what he does.

Why the theater and not something else?

I started out as an actor, the theater is my favorite expression although precisely I find in writing the best way to express myself. I think theater can be the best way to represent life and all its opposites. I like to define theater as a large container of emotions.

How do you feel every time you go on stage?

Exited, really. Especially if I play things I wrote. To put them on stage and look at what I thought, sometimes with the help of others, to see my thoughts in shape and brought to life through my actor and friends and colleagues seems a dream to me that solidifies in the world of matter. Our world.

How long does it take for a show?

I am a very fast writer. For example, «Un posto fisso in paradiso» is a comedy that I wrote in four days. The other show, «Succede Casamicciola», which will take stage in November, was written very quickly.

Your favorite plays?

I have loved so much two works. The first «Rosencrantz e Guildenstern sono morti» (Tom Stoppard’s tragedy, ed) is a spin off by Hamlet. It has very fascinated me to the point of being impressed and understanding that I can take a text and deconstruct it completely. The second one is «La visita della vecchia signora», a play by Friedrich Dürrenmatt. In this work I have
seen something that looks like Ischia, with its community and its stereotypes.

Let’s move on to today. What is the “Aenaria Prize”?

Mostly it is a challenge. The award was established by the will to build a different theatrical motion to submit the island of Ischia. It is the result of a vision. Ie bringing out - as Aenaria, in fact - the submerged part that identifies the talent of actors who populate the theaters around Italy. Therefore an exchange with other companies to change the idea of the theater and perhaps the mentality in which we are immersed treating challenging issues through shows that ask the same commitment.

Have there been troubles and hard times?

Sure. In the three years of the award but also before. Both because the problems were financial and because sometimes we found ourselves with the empty auditorium that was the biggest disappointment. This perhaps can be attributed to the lack of a theater culture on the island, whereas on the occasion of the prize we can get on the island companies that have also received recognition at the national level. Off the island, in short, the rooms are always full.

What is the purpose of the award?

To diversify proposals and show that there is a part of the theater which is not only the Neapolitan one. In this context, also other companies, I think the one of Salvatore Ronga, have raised the bar of proposals on the territory. And here, the most important purpose: to grow together, actors and audience, and contribute with the theater.

What is the result of the exchanges with theater companies that come to the island?

The companies that come to us have something more than what they might have in other partsof Italy. It is called the “tourism theater” that combines the ability to create a form of tourism tied to the theater. To date we have hosted more than five players with their companies in three editions. Then they return to the island regardless of the theater. Ischia has a something extra more than other places which always attracts.

What instead draws those who make theater on the island thanks to the theater?
(he answers together with Enzo Boffelli)
The theater, since its birth has always been a point of reference. Today many companies have the ability to create corridors of cooperation, like following, for example, the same path of the «Uomini di Mondo» and begin to deal with the new and with other actors or groups.

Why “Intelligent Dramaturgy”?

Last year part of the prize we dedicated to authors who were selected and evaluated by a panel of judges of La Rivista Intelligente (www. larivistaintelligente.it). A formula that we decided to adopt in this second year.

What kind of review we will see this year?

We have tried to cater for all tastes of the public.
Come to visit us!

By Graziano Petrucci