Misericordia

In the wretched house they leave every night to sell their bodies, Bettina, Nuzza, and Anna take care of Arturo, a special needs child they've taken under their wing. It's a hard life, in which everyday gestures are a struggle and that has all of them going through fits of anger and fits of laughter, from tenderness to rage, and from housekeeping chores to prostitution. Yet while they love each other and Arturo, the latter is growing up, and the inconstant harmony of their imbalance doesn't seem to be enough anymore... With sweetness and brutality, humour and solemnity, Emma Dante explores the theme of motherhood. The story of a destitute and atypical family brought together as much by poverty as by their big hearts: Misericordia. On an almost empty stage, she paints the portrait of three women whose harsh words are a response to Arturo's muteness, played by dancer Simone Zambelli. And thus pays homage to women and mothers. “I see them as the Fates, three mythological beings who manage to work miracles through love and resilience.”

With Italia Carroccio, Manuela Lo Sicco, Leonarda Saffi, Simone Zambelli

Text and direction Emma Dante
Lights Cristian Zucaro

Management and booking Aldo Miguel Grompone
Surtitles Franco Vena
Translation in french for the surtitles Juliane Regler
Surtitles Franco Vena

Production Piccolo Teatro di Milano – Teatro d'Europa, Atto Unico / Compagnia Sud Costa Occidentale, Teatro Biondo di Palermo
With the support of the Institut culturel italien de Marseille