Teatro Sotterraneo was founded in 2004 by actors coming from markedly different backgrounds. The main aim was to find a common ground from which to start creating a shared approach to theatre production. The play ‘5 x una’ (All for Five) by E. Luttman was performed after a year, during which period good team spirit and acting skills were enhanced – light-heartedness, exchange with the audience, developing humour and the ability to listen to the others’ opinions.
In 2004, the company were made up of the current members, namely four performers – Sara Bonaventura, Iacopo Braca, Matteo Ceccarelli, and Claudio Cirri – and the playwright, Daniele Villa. Tasks are performed jointly. Furthermore, the company have attended a number of drama workshops, mainly concerning body movement - held by Roberto Castello, Virgilio Sieni, Kinkaleri – and language – held by Rodrigo Garcìa. Teatro Sotterraneo members pool their ideas and experience in the process of producing and selling their plays. Production work starts by selecting a topic for discussion and collecting related information, thereby reducing its complexity. Then, training sessions take place, where actors improvise around the theme or freely and are filmed by a camcorder. Video recordings are analysed and divided up into smaller parts by company members; finally, original ideas are selected. The last production phase is to perform the play on stage. Everything is planned down to the smallest detail. Actors are required to follow a chronological script, including synchronised moves, positions and gestures. Actors play in a mechanical, yet seemingly natural fashion, thereby enjoying both protection and freedom of movement, able to alter otherwise impeccable performances.
The company has adopted this approach to their 2005-2006 productions – ‘11/10 in apnea’ (11/10 in Apnoea), Generazione Scenario 2005; ‘100°C’, short performance inspired by H. C. Andersen’s work. ‘UNO - Il corpo del condannato’ (ONE – The Prisoner’s Body), one- performer play on imprisonment. ‘3 agosto 2005’ (3 August 2005), site-specific performance written for Rizoma ’05 Festival - Arti contemporanee del movimento. ‘100°C: cose di Andersen’ (100°C: Andersen’s Stuff), produced by Cascina’s LaCittàDelTeatro. ‘dagli 11 metri’ (From 11 Meters), short performance ranking among the first companies at the first edition of the ‘In breve’ Festival organised by LIIT.
In September/October 2006, the company worked on ‘Tilt’ with Canadian director Jillian Keiley at the Intercity Toronto ’06 Festival, organised by Teatro della Limonaia in Sesto Fiorentino (Florence, Italy). The play's world premiere was performed at Teatro Studio in Scandicci (Florence). Teatro Sotterraneo’s new production, called ‘Post-it’, is due to be launched. Furthermore, Teatro Sotterraneo Company held a theater workshop on ‘the interest and the lack of interest in the rule of law’ within the framework of the Piazza Libera project, organised by Associazione Libera together with the Municipality of Florence. At the end of the workshop, the performance ‘Se hai un dubbio chiama il 113’ (If You Have Any Doubt, Call The Police) was staged, with repeat performances in Borgo San Lorenzo’s final event and at the Officina Giovani/Cantieri Culturali-Ex Macelli in Prato.
In November 2006, Teatro Sotterraneo’s playwright took part in a conference on contemporary play writing ‘LA CASA DELLE STORIE. I NUOVISSIMI’ at CinemaTeatroLux in Pisa. Tuscany’s up-and-coming young playwrights took part in the meeting, including Villa for Teatro Sotterraneo (Generazione Scenario 2005), Stefano Massini (Pier Vittorio Tondelli 2005 Award winner), and Narramondo’s Elena Vanni, winner of Dante Cappelletti Award first edition. The conference was coordinated by Unità journalist Rossella Battisti and by Gerardo Guccini, Professor of the University of Bologna.

TEATRO DEL TEMPO PRESENTE
L’ETI Ente Teatrale Italiano
per le nuove creatività

PRODUCTION (PDF):
Post-it
La cosa 1
Suite - progetto continuativo

WEB:
www.teatrosotterraneo.it