english version here - Ente Teatro Cronaca Vesuvioteatro

Dignità Autonome di Prostituzione/The Brothel of the Arts
a theatre show by Luciano Melchionna
produced by Ente Teatro Cronaca Vesuvioteatro
Italy
The crew
theatre show by Luciano Melchionna
format created by Betta Cianchini, Luciano Melchionna
director Luciano Melchionna
assistant director Sara Esposito, Agostino Pannone
costume designer Milla
light designer Salvatore Palladino, Gianni Caccia
sound designer Luigi Di Martino
general assistant Antonio Cappelli
production Ente Teatro Cronaca Vesuvioteatro
in collaboration with Fondazione Teatro di Napoli
You pay me first.
And if you like it, you pay me again!
Description
Dignità autonome di prostituzione - The Brothel of the Arts is a phantasmagoric theatre show where
artists and performers play the role of prostitutes at the mercy of their audience.
Upon entering the Brothel people are provided with coins to make a deal with individual performers and
artists to procure their services.
The members of the audience become clients and, either by themselves or in small groups, they retire with
the artist chosen to a secret place - a car, a caravan, a bathroom, a toilet, a dressing room, an office…
There, they will receive what they have paid for: one pleasure pill, that is to say, a 15-minute-performance
of classical or contemporary drama, as much as dance, circus performances, music, artistic installation and
whatever else is possible.
In the course of their negotiations with potential buyers, the performers can argue with their colleagues in
order to make the best deal, or they can just refuse the deal itself. On the other hand, buyers are entitled
to evaluate and choose among the offered services : they can refuse a service or even leave a tip at the end
of it if they are really satisfied. In addition, they are free to leave the place and come back after a while.
Performances can take place at the same time in different locales based on audience demand. It may
happen that a single performer is called to provide her/his ‘service’ several times…it is a non-stop theatrical
magical machine that attracts the public and engage each spectator in a new, innovative, unusual and
thought provoking way to experience art and theatre.
WARNING: one night in the Brothel of the Arts can change the rest of your nights!
How and Why
Dignità Autonome di Prostituzione – The Brothel of the Arts is a format for a theatre performance which
can be repeated differently and yearly using different artists and different artistic contents. It has been
created and directed to serve various and sundry specific objectives, cultures and languages. It was for
example recreated and performed in English for the Louis Vuitton Maison Roma Etoile opening.
In effect it is an unlimited and always new theatre performance.
Our main goal is to create an unusual relationship between the theatre performance and the theatre goer.
Indeed, we transform our audience into modern ‘prosumers’, that is to say, into consumers and producers
at the same time!
Every night, every single theatre goer is the creator, producer, user and beneficiary of her/his own unique
show. S/he is free to use artists and arts, handle money ,make deals and enjoy artistic performances. S/he
is the main builder of her/his theatrical experience.
As prosumers, our audience can savor an awesome, unpredictable and inspiring adventure. Each member
of the audience has the opportunity to enjoy the amazing world of theatre art: performance by
performance, for either a few minutes or many hours, again and again, coming and going. We want our
spectator to learn that theatre arts are there to inspire, amaze, touch, give some pause for thought, change
minds and worlds.
Our main goal is to engage our audience by offering a wonder producing and unique theatre experience!
…so far
40 rendez-vous
387 performances
374.000 spectators
Dignità Autonome di Prostituzione – The Brothel of the Arts has been receiving the rewards of
audience approval since its very first performance.
During the last seven years, our show has been presented in many festivals and theatres all
around Italy. Among some of the most important Festivals and Theatres where it has been
presented are:
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XXXI Festival Benevento Città Spettacolo
I International festival of Tarragona, Spain (Spanish version)
XXXII La Versiliana Festival
2009/10 – Teatro Franco Parenti, Milan
2011/12 – 2012/13 – 2013/14 – 2014/15 – 2015/16 Teatro Bellini, Naples
2012/13 – Teatro Ambra Jovinelli, Rome
2013/14 – 2014/15 – Teatro Paisiello, Lecce
2014/15 – Cinecittà Studios, Rome
2014/15 Teatro Brancaccio, Rome
2014/15 – Teatro Colosseo, Turin
2014/15 – Teatro Titano, San Marino
Awards
Best Direction, Best Idea, Best Actress - Golden Graal 2008
Nomination for Best New Theatre Show-Premio E.T.I. – Gli Olimpici del Teatro 2009
Best Theatre Show-Premio Napoli Cultural Classic 2012
Best Director -Premio Notte di Note Mediterranee, Salento
The casting
Dignità autonome di prostituzione – The Brothel of the Arts is based on a variable format.
It may be either long or short; it may offer dozens of performances per night or just few; it may feature up
to 50 performers but it can also shrink into in a mini-format of 10 performers.
It’s like an accordion which tunes itself with the needs and the demands of individual places and
audiences.
We always present the show with a number of actors and actresses from our company, but we like to
involve a number of local performers from the hosting area or from local theatre companies.
When possible, we organize preliminary workshops for young performers.
We believe that cultural and artistic exchange is the best way to make progress in our art as well as in our
lives.
As a consequence, if you ask “Who are in the cast?”, we reply that “The cast depends on our agreement”
Technical Needs
As mentioned above, the format is variable. Therefore the technical needs are variable too.
We have had various type of presentations where we had the chance to use different kinds of tools and
sound-video designs and services.
We’ll provide an ad hoc technical information file when we have details about the potential hosting place.
Spin Off
Thirty-two photographers have already viewed The Brothel of the Arts, and we put together a collection of
their photographs which are now shown together with the theatre presentation
Stéphane Ait Ouarab
Nina Borrelli
Luca Brunetti
Angelo Campus
Luigi Ceccon
Sabrina Cirillo
Gabriele Dell’Anna
Alessandro Fanghella
Flavia Fasano
Marta Ferranti
Paoloreste Gelfo
Angelo Genovese
Roberta Gioberti
Giusy Iescone
Mario Kiribiri
Pino Le Pera
Tommaso Le Pera
Angela Loveday
Luigi Maffettone
Stefano Malandrino
Piero Marsili LibellI
Margherita Mirabella
Fabrizio Nocini
Laura Piattella
Manuel Pietrangeli
Giacomo Rosato
Marcello Scopelliti
Germano Serafini
Carmen Sigillo
Paolo Soriani
Dario Toledo
Weedeoz
The exhibition has been enriched over time, by the following art installations and performances:
I ritratti rifiutati, art installation by Alessandro Baronio
Jellyfish, art installation by Cink
Mea Culpa and Studio per un’orazione, art installation by Davide Orlandi Dormino
Paintings by Enza Messini
Il corpo di un tenore, la voce di un soprano, live performance by Adonay Mamo
Difendi l'artista, musical live performance from Il filo intermentale, sung by Skuba
Il teatro torna a casa" social issues advertising by Luciano Melchionna
Art installations and scenic design elements createdand realized by the students of
Accademia di
Belle Arti di Napoli.
Art installations by Davide De Filippo edited by MAD
Paintings by Emmanuelle Stanziano
In Equilibrio, videoclip featuring the singer Ilaria Porceddu
Dignitosa Stanchezza, video performance by Luciano Melchionna
Luciano Melchionna
He graduated from Accademia Nazionale d’Arte Drammatica “Silvio D’Amico”, Rome, in 1989. He
worked as an actor with, among others, Lorenzo Salveti, Angelo Corti, Roberto Guicciardini and
Luca Ronconi.
Between 2010 and 2013 he was the Artistic Director of Accademia d’Arte Drammatica del Teatro
Bellini di Napoli.
He has recently received from the ‘Personalità Europea 2015’ award from the Capitol -Presidenza
del Centro Europeo per il Turismo, Rome.
Biography
His first comedy drama, Rimozione forzata earned a Nomination at Premio IDI ’96 and it was
presented as a mise en éspace at Festival di Trieste, acted by Lorenzo Salveti.
In 1997 he wrote and directed Non camminare scalza, Audience Award for the Best Screenplay
at the Festival Corti Teatrali ’97, Teatro Vittoria, Roma.
In 1998 he wrote and directed Gas, Audience Award for the Best Direction at the Festival Corti
Teatrali’98, Teatro Vittoria, Rome; Premio Riviera d’Ulisse “Giovani Protagonisti” (young players
award) at Festival del Teatro Italiano and Premio Fondi La Pastora.
In 1999 he wrote and directed Lune a metà, Nomination for Premio Fondi La Pastora.
In 2000 he wrote and directed Pausa, ; Premio Riviera d’Ulisse “Giovani Protagonisti” (young
players award) at Festival del Teatro Italiano and Premio Fondi La Pastora.
He wrote the monologue Raccontoduepunti, short film directed by Monica Stambrini.
He wrote and directed Nella, played by Lucia Mascino and Carolina Crescentini
He wrote L’ennesima Giovanna for the Amnesty International video campaign Mai più violenza
sulle donne (No more violence against women).
He wrote about fifty short monologues, entitled ‘pills for a theatre reconciliation therapy’.
He gives his pills anywhere!
Theatre direction:
Caldo come il ghiaccio, by Luca De Bei
Ce n’è per tutti, by Luca De Bei
L’equilibrio, by Botho Strauss
Falso Doppio, by Lewis Theobald
Sottovuoto, by Sabrina Scucimarra
La vita è gioco, by Alberto Moravia
Un ragionevole dubbio, da La parola ai giurati, film by Sidney Lumet, in coll. Amnesty
International
Senza testa, by Alexandra La Capria
Cerco donna, by Alexandra La Capria
Sterminio, by Werner Schwab
In casa con Claude, by René-Daniel Dubois
Variazioni di morte, by Jon Fosse
La disfatta, by Gianni Guardigli
Brokeback Mountain ovvero Gente del Wyoming, by Annie Proulx
Porno-Teo-Kolossal, by Pier Paolo Pasolini
Elettra, based on Eschilo, Sofocle; Euripide, Hofmannsthal
Aiuto, by Fabrizio Bajec
Overture, by Fabrizio Bajec supported by Amnesty International
La stanza delle donne, by Gabriella Schina
Persone naturali e strafottenti, by Giuseppe Patroni Griffi
Muraglie, by Nello Calabrò
Post Partum, by Elisabetta Cianchini
L’anno del pensiero magico, by Joan Didion
Quelle due ovvero La calunnia, by Lilian Hellman
Ricorda con rabbia, by John Osborne
Parole incatenate, by Jordi Galceran
Dignità autonome di prostituzione, V.V.A.A.
Due Diversi, by Luciano Melchionna
L’amore per le cose assenti, by Luciano Melchionna
Cinema
In 2005 he wrote and directed his first movie
Gas
Nomination Festival di Locarno 2005, ‘Cineasti del Presente’; winner of Fondo SIAE per il Nuovo
Cinema Italiano at Festa Internazionale di Roma where Melchionna is presented as one of the ‘
Twelve European Talents’; Nomination for the Best Supporting Actress at Nastri d’Argento 2006;
presentation at the N.I.C.E. Film Festival USA 2005 and Russia 2006; Best Film at Life is Cinema
Film Festival, Mons, Belgium; Best Film for the Students Jury at Storie di Cinema Festival,
Grosseto; Best Film, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor for a 100-students jury at Chieti
International Film Festival.
He worked as Assistat director in Il Papa Buono, tv production directed by Ricky Tognazzi
He was Artistic director of the Short Film Festival ‘Lo sbarco dei corti’, Positano, Naples, Italy
In 2006 he directed one episode in the film Niente Storie, produced by Unione Italiana Casting
In 2007 he wrote and directed the short film Anni 30, Nomination at David di Donatello, Best
Actor at Festa Internazionale del Cinema di Roma, Best Short Film and Best Cinematography at
11°International Short Film Festival in Sabina.
In 2008 he directed the videoclip Non c’è contatto by Silvia Mezzanotte and, in the same year, he
wrote and directed the social issues advertising Il teatro torna a casa, featuring Franca Valeri,
produced by Ministero dei Beni Culturali-Dipartimento Spettacolo dal Vivo.
In 2010 he directed his second movie
Ce n’è per tutti
featuring Stefania Sandrelli, Arnoldo Foà, Lorenzo Balducci, Ambra Angiolini, Giorgio Colangeli,
Jordi Molla, Micaela Ramazzotti.
Ente Teatro Cronaca Vesuvioteatro
Limited Liability Consortium accredited and supported by Ministero dei Beni Culturali and Regione
Campania. It was founded in 2015 on the fusion between the historical ‘Ente Teatro Cronaca’ a
theatre production company which had been active since 1959 and which produced, among
others, Eduardo De Filippo, Giuseppe Patroni Griffi, Roberto De Simone, Piero Maccarinelli,
Werner Shroeter, José Quaglio, Franco Però, Luigi De Filippo, Mariano Rigillo; and the younger and
modern theatre production company ‘Vesuvioteatro’ whose artistic work was focused on
innovation theatre and festivals and for which it received the important theatre awards Premio
Ubu 2012, Premio Girulà, Premio Bartolucci.
Our goals are to join forces to meet the economic challenges of theatre producing in Italy and
Europe and to maximize synergies and cross the limits of the Tradition/Innovation categories. We
want to create a dialogic relationship between the various forms of performative arts.
Producer and General Manager: Geppi Liguoro
Executive Manager: Dora De Martino
Artistic Director: Giulio Baffi
The staff
Production Assistant: Marica Castiello
Communication: Elena Cepollaro
Promotion: Dario Del Fosco
International: Francesca Liguoro
Secretary: Serena Rinaldo
www.enteteatrocronaca.it