THEIR HONOUR IS CALLED COWARDICE Mise

THEIR HONOUR IS CALLED COWARDICE
Mise en espace based on Perspectives on the Civil War by Hans Magnus Enzensberger
with Massimo De Francovich
adaptated and directed by Serena Sinigaglia
produced by Thesis/Dedica Festival
Enzesberger argues that man is born to hate, but that no era has ever seen as much limitless and
unreasoning hate as the present day. This is a harsh concept, because it tells us that it is we who are
mainly responsible for all the hate which surrounds us. At the same time, however, Enzensberger
urges us to attempt to identify the appropriate responsibilities ("do not look afar, to wars that do not
concern you; look inside your own daily existence, inside your life, that's where you can really do some
good"), and in doing so he turns his pessimistic theory, paradoxically, into a "positive" one. It is up to
us to try to change the state of things; thus we can do it, we can hate but also try to stop hating, to
reject the hate that is inside us, envy, fear, the desire to win and to outsmart others, our egoism and
our ambition. It is necessary in each case to search, to understand and recognize, and in this way to
make the most appropriate choices, even though we are aware that our every gesture, even the most
cautious and carefully planned, might reveal itself as fruitless or, even worse, a mistake. Here, in the
paradox of an obstinate and happy gesture, lies the miracle of peace. If it works as planned, it will be
like listening to a convincing, exciting lecture, it will be like a face-to-face meeting with the pulsating
thoughts of a true intellectual. If it works as planned, we will probably go home with a wealth of new
and unforeseen reflections.
Serena Sinigaglia was born in 1973 in Milan. After graduating in directing at the “Paolo Grassi” Civic
School of Dramatic Art in 1996, she worked as assistant director for Gabriele Vacis and Gigi Dall’Aglio. She is the founder
of ATIR, a group with which she experiments in mise en éspace of classical works and new drama; her work and that of
the Company are recognized as being one of the most original and exciting forces in the contemporary scene. For the
2007 Dedica festival she organized the mise en éspace of Nadine Gordimer's L’Aggancio (The Pick-up) which she later
developed into a highly-successful show which in 2009 won the City of Milan Prize for the Theatre.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
© 2010 Thesis Associazione Culturale. All rights reserved.
The copyright of the whole contents of this document is property of Thesis Associazione Culturale. The user is allowed to
disclose, print and download it exclusively for personal use, for information purposes and not for commercial use. It is
forbidden to copy, distribute, transmit, display, execute, duplicate, publish, license, transfer or sell the contents. Exception
to what provided for by copyright law, it is forbidden to re-use the contents in the absence of prior written consent by
Thesis Associazione Culturale. It is forbidden to use these materials in other Web Sites or in other Web environments.
Contact information for requests for permissions: [email protected]. Web Site: www.dedicafestival.it.
Massimo De Francovich, after studying at the “Silvio D’Amico” National Academy of Dramatic Art, made
his theatre debut alongside Vittorio Gassman. He later worked for many years with the Compagnia dei Giovani, and has
also featured in several films, including Damiano Damiani's Pizza Connection; Pasolini. Un delitto italiano by Marco Tullio
Giordana; Le mani forti by Franco Bernini and Michele Placido's Ovunque sei. He has received numerous major awards,
including the Ubu Prize (1991) as actor of the year and the Salvo Randone Prize (2000).
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
© 2010 Thesis Associazione Culturale. All rights reserved.
The copyright of the whole contents of this document is property of Thesis Associazione Culturale. The user is allowed to
disclose, print and download it exclusively for personal use, for information purposes and not for commercial use. It is
forbidden to copy, distribute, transmit, display, execute, duplicate, publish, license, transfer or sell the contents. Exception
to what provided for by copyright law, it is forbidden to re-use the contents in the absence of prior written consent by
Thesis Associazione Culturale. It is forbidden to use these materials in other Web Sites or in other Web environments.
Contact information for requests for permissions: [email protected]. Web Site: www.dedicafestival.it.