“Citizens without a state” is the common theme of the 20th edition of Tramedautore, which this year focuses on Italy and Italian artists, with a small international section including brand/new short texts by foreign writers.
“Even though this year will be characterised by a more intimate feel - write the organisers - the Festival will still be bringing together writers and artists who have shared this journey for so long, together with the various institutions that have accompanied them, first and foremost the Piccolo Teatro. Twenty years on, we still believe that the theatre can play an important role in metabolising the contemporary, in spreading knowledge and in promoting the growth of a community that we want to see increasingly diverse and inclusive”.

Through the use of different forms of language (dance, puppet theatre, participatory theatre, musical theatre, narrative theatre, documentary theatre), the wonders of the Arabian Nights stories come to life in unusual images made up of fantastic objects. The projects take the form of an exhibition (at the Chiostro) and three performances (at the Teatro Grassi).
The exhibition/installation set up at the Chiostro Nina Vinci presents the background to the project, as often performances are just the tip of the iceberg of astounding and participatory processes.
The exhibition presents drawings, photographs, materials, sculptures and parts cut from the final version, and may also include further small sound installations.

Morte – Il fuoco nelle mie ossa
The show, which combines live music, shadows, puppets and marionettes, examines the compulsion for death. During the project’s development, women from all the continents were interviewed to understand how the perception of death and violence differs, involving an Arabist expert in literature from the University of Turin.

Potere – Ridere delle disgrazie altrui
A participatory performance that explores the dynamics of power in groups through play. The project has been developed together with adolescents and young adults and a social psychology team from the Bicocca University, as well as two game designers.

Eros – Come si chiama questa?
Come si chiama questa? is a female dialogue on the mystery of the act of love, in which the words of a 15th century Arab manuscript are interwoven with the voices of women over the age of 70 in a scientific workshop where pleasure is distilled.
The performance has been developed in collaboration with a number of physicists from the University of Milan.

Lidelab, from the Danish “workshop of pleasure and pain”, is a collective of independent artists founded by Silvia Rigon and Lucia Menegazzo.
A graduate in Linguistic and Cultural Mediation (Spanish and Arabic), Silvia Rigon graduated in directing at the Paolo Grassi School. She is one of the playwrights for Santa Estasi by Antonio Latella (Ubu Award 2016 for Best Production).  Since 2012 she has been working internationally, collaborating with both small independent companies and large-scale productions as a dramaturgy supervisor and assistant director. She works alongside figures such as Lucinda Childs, Marco Balich, Adriana Asti and Lulu Helbaek.
Lucia Menegazzo studied sculpture, is a graduate in Visual Arts and Entertainment at IUAV, studied with Jaime Lorca and graduated in directing at the Paolo Grassi School. She is a scenographer and organiser for the theatrical company The Baby Walk directed by Liv Ferracchiati (2017 Theatre Biennial, 2017 Scenario Award). she has collaborated, among others, with Fabrizio Montecchi (Teatro Gioco Vita) and with the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome (props department).