LE PICCOLE CANAGLIE

The Little Rascals theatre workshop has important educational and training motivations; it is a sort of 'journey/adventure' where the focus is not just a simple transmission of techniques, but rather their conscious use to learn to express oneself and communicate.

The emotional environment created by the group is fundamental: everyone must be able to express themselves without fear, and perceive the necessary trust, respect, and ability to listen in the group. Equally important is the socialising function of the laboratory: the class often includes very different personalities and different ages.

We ask our young actors to thirst for adventure and fun.... we consider them as budding adults who can, through theatre, acquire a balanced critical behaviour and grow up as individuals that are part of a broader society. And of course, taking on the responsibility of their small, important role.

Our objectives are: to stimulate creativity and imagination, in individuals and in group work; foster a close alignment of text, music and movement; to teach mime, dramatization, dance and music... and character development (according to Stanislavskij's school).

Through theatre we also learn to ‘resist’ where this word does not only mean ‘going against’, but most importantly developing awareness, empathy, learning to manage our different strengths and weaknesses, learning to debate oppositional views - to defend our own and as importantly, to be able to listen to the perspective of others’.

Courses are taught by experienced amateurs and professionals. The group is composed by both actors and other passionate individuals that contribute their time and skills and share with the group a myriad of electrifying moments. By joining the group, we become members of a 'family/theatre' that offers a magical environment and an important and intense effort-sharing moment, up to the final performance.

We stage adaptations of classic themes and/or stories as reflected and embodied in our times, thus helping young actors hone their sense of empathy which is the first thing we are taught in theatre: ... “pretend to be ... put yourself in the shoes of ... bring on stage their tragedy, tell us about it”. This way of doing theatre entails a double responsibility: of those who decide to rigorously narrate and orchestrate that story - we the Little Rascals, and the responsibility of those who must perfectly reconstruct the space of the story and fully feel the pain and dismay represented in it, ie. you the public.

There is very little that we can view as passive in this theatrical form - discovering reality together, its horrors, its passions, its feelings … this is a collective duty, and it happens over and over again at every performance of ours.