From 4th to 10th June 2024, two CirkAround participants, Silvia Borello from Turin (Clown) and Arianna Garuli from Bologna (Aerial Acrobatics performer) had the huge opportunity to spend a week in Athens, working with Angeliki Kasola, artistic director and founder of Restart Theater Athens and actress Irini Mela, and following them throughout their community theatre work in the city. Luisa Cuttini (Circuito CLAPS artistic director) and Ermanno Nardi (Industria Scenica) accompanied the participants.

Angeliki, as Restart Theater Athens and CirkAround international partner, organized a workshop for the two artists with her company and led them to a private tri-lingual performance of their latest work ‘Lysistrata’ (Greek, English, Italian) that had its European premier in Italy at the INVISIBLE CITIES FESTIVAL in July 2023 (Fara Sabine, Roma). Last but not least, the two participants following a creative master-class on street theatre by director Angeliki Kasola and actress Irini Mela and an artists' professional development session created two short street performances which were presented as a showcase of their work in the streets underneath the Acropolis, one of the world's most unique locations for street performances.

The relevant work and site specific visits to the Kesariani Shooting Range, where Restart Theatre Athens involved 50 citizens of the area in the re-telling of their histrory, made the participants aware of how the people can recognize the artists’ efforts in bridging the gap between artists and non artists and how meaningful processes can be created in a collaborative manner that give voice and presence to communities through the performing arts.

Participants especially mentioned as added value of their experience:

1. The relevant work made by Restart Theater Athens involving communities made the participants aware of how the people can recognize the artists’efforts and messages carried by the arts.

2. The possibility to work in a real project, directed by a professional, and show it to the community for feedbacks.

3. The great cultural context of Athens, rich in history and art, in the theatre' s first home.

SILVIA BORELLO
Turin, 1990

She studied dance, theatre and singing. Graduated in 2013 from Bernstein School of Musical Theater (Bologna), in 2016, after a short seminar with Willy the Clown (teacher and director with whom she still collaborates), she discovered clowning and since then has been trying to delve into every aspect of it by travelling, studying and working: Granada, Paris, Barcelona, Montreal, Turin, Berlin, Yi- Bin, Castelo de Vide. Since 2018 she has been part of the company ‘The Clown Angels’, with which he debuted in 2021 with the show ‘BANG BANG!’.

ARIANNA GARULLI
Bologna, 1996

She studied theatre and contemporary dance, then trained at the ‘Alessandra Galante Garrone’ School of Theatre in Bologna (2018-2020). She graduated in International Marketing and approached the world of circus, specialising in aerial acrobatics (silks, trapeze and hoop), with national and international artists. She carries out personal research on the expressive use of the aerial tool, is a teacher of the same discipline and collaborates with the theatre company LegÀmi / Circo Sotto Sopra (APS Artelego, Bologna).

THE ITALIAN PARTICIPANTS