With the program for the next Prose Season and Other Paths already announced in recent days, it’s time to take stock of the season that concluded last Sunday with the poetic acrobatics of the Finzi Pasca Company and their ‘Titizé’, applauded by nearly 8,000 spectators. A show that literally enchanted audiences of all ages, as Artistic Director Maria Grazia Panigada noted in a post on her Facebook page: “One can describe the wind or the lapping of water, but it’s much more difficult to express the emotion they evoke in us, the taste of life they leave us with, the imaginings they provoke. The Finzi Pasca Company essentially does this, and their show ‘Titizé’ takes us to that other side, where reality is not depicted but rather the emotions that truth and dreams, intertwining at dawn, gift us. And so this week has been one of wide-eyed wonder, smiles transformed into laughter, applause mixed with suspended sighs, with the serenity of play where everything can change without ever replacing the dream.”
Overall, the recently concluded Prose Season recorded a total of 52,751 attendees, with 5,770 subscriptions, an 18% increase compared to the previous season. The most-watched show was ‘La coscienza di Zeno’ with Alessandro Haber, with 9,265 attendees, including an additional performance for students, closely followed by ‘Titizé’. “Once again, we can only express great satisfaction,” comments Massimo Boffelli, General Director of the Teatro Donizetti Foundation, “The Prose Season is one of our most qualified and qualifying offerings, as demonstrated by the attention and affection of the audience. The increase from seven to eight performances has allowed us to accommodate new requests, and we can state, without fear of contradiction, that this is a number of performances that few other theaters at a national level can boast today, even in cities larger than Bergamo. And these results are achieved only thanks to a team of the highest professional level, to whom we extend our most heartfelt thanks.”
That the Donizetti is one of the most beloved theaters in Italy is evident from the words of the performers themselves in the shows hosted. In this regard, it’s enough to report some of the testimonials of esteem expressed by them in the Season’s “diary”. “There are theaters that manage to contain all the mysterious game that has made your career worth pursuing: the Donizetti, for me, from my beginnings until today, is one of them,” writes Franco Branciaroli, who shared applause with Umberto Orsini for ‘I ragazzi irresistibili’, the opening title of the Season. “It was an honor and a great joy to return here for the first time after the magnificent renovation. It was particularly moving to bring Eduardo’s words to a theater so virtuous and an example for all of Italy,” reads the testimony of Fausto Russo Alesi. “The only real problem at the Donizetti is having to leave,” adds Silvio Orlando, who, along with his company, brought ‘Ciarlatani’ to the stage.
