Taormina Congress Hall, Sala B – December 2, 2023 @ 8.30pm
Title: “HUGO”
Genre: Comicità fisica e visuale, mimo ed effetti sonori
Audience: Suitable for everyone
Duration: 60 mins.
The Umbilical Brothers, an Australian comedy duo composed of Shane Dundas and David Collins, met in 1988 at the University of Western Sydney. Despite an initial incident that saw Shane break his nose, they managed to reconcile and develop unique comedic sketches.
Their performances combine mime, dialogue, and vocal sound effects, incorporating puppetry, burlesque, and audience engagement with minimal use of props and lighting.
They have graced prestigious stages such as the Late Show with David Letterman and the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, as well as performing at international comedy festivals. Their shows have been praised by critics and have garnered a wide fan base of all ages.
Awards received include two BAFTAs and an EMMY, a testament to their talent and success in the entertainment industry.
Their performances are a captivating blend of physical comedy, vocal sound effects, and verbal interaction that defy theatrical norms, resulting in a comedic triumph. With over a million monthly online views, their charm continues to captivate audiences of all generations.
Taormina Congress Hall, Sala B – December 2, 2023 @ 5.30pm
Title: “HUGO”
Genre: TEATRO CIRCO – CLOWN
Audience: Suitable for everyone
Duration: 50 mins.
Distracted? Curious?
HUGO is a unique character who discovers the stage as a place to play with the audience, his accomplice, his challenge, the essence. He is an eccentric acrobat, Restless and mischievous comedian, original, daring, and passionate. Needs a constant connection with the audience; to play and give everything in return for… An unexpected gesture? A slight smile?
With careful training in gesture and mime, years of physical and acrobatic preparation, HUGO is an exhaustive work on object play, manipulation. This character invites us to play, to build a time of adventures, imaginary moments, and improbable situations… Suggesting a touch of nostalgia, very close to that of silent films it will transport us to a universe filled with paper airplanes, hats, newspapers, acrobatics, suitcases, grimaces, magic, confetti, laughter, creating a surreal and absurd play space, where everything is possible.
HE wants to play… DO YOU?
All of this arises from the mind and work of Hugo Miró, an artist from Guadalajara, Spain.
Hugo began his journey in the circus world through self-taught means, but along his path, he took various courses in different disciplines, although Hugo always had more curiosity for the world of comedy, and of course, for the clown, this led him to follow a path and focus more on a personal quest. He has worked, shared, and learned from different “masters” such as Leandre Ribera, Churry Silva, Vasily Protsenko… Throughout his journey, he has worked on different projects and with different companies, some of which are well-known, like Ale-Hop company or Jorge Blass, (with whom he worked at the Teatro Circo Price and at the Gala Premios Goya…).
He has worked as Headline Comic/Clown in some circuses such as:
Cirque Imagine (France 2019 & 2021),
Hippodrome Circus Great Yarmouth (UK 2017 & 2018), Circo Sendaviva (Spain 2014 – 2016).
Or at festivals like: 4th and 5th Mondoclowns Festival (France 2019, 2020), Mondoclowns Festival at Chateau du Duras (France 2019)…
And with his solo show, he has participated in various festivals around the world, some of which are renowned.
Special Guest: the Australian Nola Rea in Performance
Nola Rae
Genre: Mimo – Teatro Fisico
Audience: Suitable for everyone
Duration: 10-15 mins.
Nola Rae, born in Sydney in 1943, moved to London in 1963. Trained at the Royal Ballet School, she danced at the Malmö Stadsteater and the Tivoli Pantomime Theatre in Copenhagen. Later, she studied mime with Marcel Marceau in Paris.
She was the founder of the company Kiss and co-founded the Friends Roadshow with Jango Edwards. She was also a member of the Bristol Old Vic Company. In 1974, she founded the London Mime Theatre with Matthew Ridout. She debuted as a solo performer in 1975 and has toured in 68 countries.
Her early shows were sketches with mime, dance, clowning, and puppetry. In 1990, she began presenting full-length comedies. Her current repertoire includes shows like “Elizabeth’s Last Stand” and “Exit Napoleon Pursued by Rabbits”. She has worked in duos with Sally Owen and Lasse Akerlund.
As a writer and director, she transforms tragedies into comedies. She collaborated with tenor Rolando Villazón in various productions.
She is a renowned teacher of mime and clowning and co-founded the London International Mime Festival. She has received several awards, including the Charlie Rivel Medal and the M.B.E. honor.
https://www.taormina.it/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/TAORMINA-2-Custom.png00taormina-friendshttps://www.taormina.it/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/TAORMINA-2-Custom.pngtaormina-friends2022-12-01 00:06:222023-11-27 14:55:45December 1, 2023 - FINC Comedy Festival - Nola Rae
International Festival of Nouveau Clown, 2nd edition
Taormina, December 1 – 10, 2023
The FINC FESTIVAL aims to create and engage a new audience, introducing them to the world of contemporary circus and the central figure of the “New Clown,” from which the “International Festival of the Nouveau Clown” takes its name.
The goal is to cultivate an interest in beautiful, international comedy that transcends language barriers with the universal language of gestures and intentions, reaching everyone indiscriminately.
Comic art allows younger generations to understand different artistic languages and develop a strong critical sense, encouraging them to take risks without the fear of making mistakes, and accepting their failures. The clown embodies this way of life and acts as a teacher. The objective is to involve renowned professional comedians and clowns, both in Italy and abroad, in creating a comedic show that appeals to all generations of spectators.
The 2023 edition also focuses on the role of the female clown in live performance. Women also have a place in the world of clowning, although they are often thought to play supporting roles. With the presence of international figures like Nola Rae and Hilary Chaplain, FINC aims to close the gap and challenge this perception.
Another goal is to combat gender disparity, especially in the field of entertainment and clowning. This is particularly significant in a region that still has much progress to make in terms of women’s emancipation.
Clown Therapy is also a key theme we will address in the second edition of the International Festival of the Nouveau Clown. Some techniques borrowed from circus and street theater and are used to transform hospital wards or rooms into magical environments. Laughter serves to alleviate suffering and stimulate dialogue, turning the clown into a healer. The Clown Doctor establishes a human relationship of trust and intimacy, momentarily easing the challenges of hospital life.
(Source: https://fincfestival.com)
PROGRAM
All events take place at the Taormina Congress Hall
Ticket Office
– before December 1st:
– from December 1st to 10th: Taormina Congress Hotel – 10:00am – 12:00 and 4.00pm – 8.00pm (except on December 4th)
Reservations: email to reservation@fincfestival.com. Please specify: show title, number of adults, number of children
Ancient Theatre, Saturday 23rd September 2023 @ 9.30pm
Umberto Antonio Tozzi (1952) is an Italian pop and rock singer and composer. Over the course of his career, he has sold over 70 million records in different languages internationally, and his biggest international hits are: “Stella Stai”, “Gloria”, “Tu” and “Ti Amo”.
TICKETS on ticketone and boxol
Platea: € 69,00
Gallery: € 59,00
Upper Circle (numbered seats): € 49,00
Upper Circle (non numbered circle): 29,00
Taormina Ancient Theatre, Friday 22nd September 2023 @ 9.00pm
DIRECTION: Salvo Dolce
CHOREOGRAPHY: Stefania Cotroneo
THEATRE DIRECTOR: Alessandra Pipitone
ORCHESTRA: Orchestra Filarmonica Della Sicilia
CHORUS: Coro Lirico Mediterraneo
ORGANIZATION: Associazione Culturale Musicale Siciliarte
Carmen is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on a novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée.
The opera, written in the genre of opéra comique, tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a naïve soldier who is seduced by the wiles of the fiery Gypsy, Carmen. José abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts from his military duties, yet loses Carmen’s love to the glamorous toreador Escamillo, after which José kills her in a jealous rage.
The music of Carmen has been widely acclaimed for its brilliance of melody, harmony, atmosphere and orchestration, and for the skill with which Bizet musically represented the emotions and suffering of his characters. After the composer’s death the score was subject to significant amendment, including the introduction of recitative in place of the original dialogue; there is no standard edition of the opera, and different views exist as to what versions best express Bizet’s intentions.
Place: Seville, Spain, and surrounding hills – Time: Around 1820
Act 1 – A square, in Seville. On the right, a door to the tobacco factory. At the back, a bridge. On the left, a guardhouse
A group of soldiers relaxes in the square, waiting for the changing of the guard and commenting on the passers-by (“Sur la place, chacun passe”). Micaëla appears, seeking José. Moralès tells her that “José is not yet on duty” and invites her to wait with them. She declines, saying she will return later. José arrives with the new guard, which is greeted and imitated by a crowd of urchins (“Avec la garde montante”). A lithograph of act 1 in the premiere performance, by Pierre-Auguste Lamy, 1875
As the factory bell rings, the cigarette girls emerge and exchange banter with young men in the crowd (“La cloche a sonné”). Carmen enters and sings her provocative habanera on the untameable nature of love (“L’amour est un oiseau rebelle”). The men plead with her to choose a lover, and after some teasing she throws a flower to Don José, who thus far has been ignoring her but is now annoyed by her insolence.
As the women go back to the factory, Micaëla returns and gives José a letter and a kiss from his mother (“Parle-moi de ma mère!”). He reads that his mother wants him to return home and marry Micaëla, who retreats in shy embarrassment on learning this. Just as José declares that he is ready to heed his mother’s wishes, the women stream from the factory in great agitation. Zuniga, the officer of the guard, learns that Carmen has attacked a woman with a knife. When challenged, Carmen answers with mocking defiance (“Tra la la… Coupe-moi, brûle-moi”); Zuniga orders José to tie her hands while he prepares the prison warrant. Left alone with José, Carmen beguiles him with a seguidilla, in which she sings of a night of dancing and passion with her lover—whoever that may be—in Lillas Pastia’s tavern. Confused yet mesmerised, José agrees to free her hands; as she is led away she pushes her escort to the ground and runs off laughing. José is arrested for dereliction of duty.
Act 2 – Lillas Pastia’s Inn
A month has passed. Carmen and her friends Frasquita and Mercédès are entertaining Zuniga and other officers (“Les tringles des sistres tintaient”) in Pastia’s inn. Carmen is delighted to learn of José’s release from a month’s detention. Outside, a chorus and procession announces the arrival of the toreador Escamillo (“Vivat, vivat le Toréro”). Invited inside, he introduces himself with the “Toreador Song” (“Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre”) and sets his sights on Carmen, who brushes him aside. Lillas Pastia hustles the crowds and the soldiers away.
When only Carmen, Frasquita and Mercédès remain, the smugglers Dancaïre and Remendado arrive and reveal their plans to dispose of some recently acquired contraband (“Nous avons en tête une affaire”). Frasquita and Mercédès are keen to help them, but Carmen refuses, since she wishes to wait for José. After the smugglers leave, José arrives. Carmen treats him to a private exotic dance (“Je vais danser en votre honneur … La la la”), but her song is joined by a distant bugle call from the barracks. When José says he must return to duty, she mocks him, and he answers by showing her the flower that she threw to him in the square (“La fleur que tu m’avais jetée”). Unconvinced, Carmen demands he shows his love by leaving with her. José refuses to desert, but as he prepares to depart, Zuniga enters looking for Carmen. He and José fight, and are separated by the returning smugglers, who restrain Zuniga. Having attacked a superior officer, José now has no choice but to join Carmen and the smugglers (“Suis-nous à travers la campagne”).
Act 3 – A wild spot in the mountains Magdalena Kožená and Jonas Kaufmann at the Salzburg Festival 2012
Carmen and José enter with the smugglers and their booty (“Écoute, écoute, compagnons”); Carmen has now become bored with José and tells him scornfully that he should go back to his mother. Frasquita and Mercédès amuse themselves by reading their fortunes from the cards; Carmen joins them and finds that the cards are foretelling her death, and José’s. The women depart to suborn the customs officers who are watching the locality. José is placed on guard duty.
Micaëla enters with a guide, seeking José and determined to rescue him from Carmen (“Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante”). On hearing a gunshot she hides in fear; it is José, who has fired at an intruder who proves to be Escamillo. José’s pleasure at meeting the bullfighter turns to anger when Escamillo declares his infatuation with Carmen. The pair fight (“Je suis Escamillo, toréro de Grenade”), but are interrupted by the returning smugglers and girls (“Holà, holà José”). As Escamillo leaves he invites everyone to his next bullfight in Seville. Micaëla is discovered; at first, José will not leave with her despite Carmen’s mockery, but he agrees to go when told that his mother is dying. As he departs, vowing he will return, Escamillo is heard in the distance, singing the toreador’s song.
Act 4 – A square in Seville. At the back, the walls of an ancient amphitheatre
Zuniga, Frasquita and Mercédès are among the crowd awaiting the arrival of the bullfighters (“Les voici ! Voici la quadrille!”). Escamillo enters with Carmen, and they express their mutual love (“Si tu m’aimes, Carmen”). As Escamillo goes into the arena, Frasquita warns Carmen that José is nearby, but Carmen is unafraid and willing to speak to him. Alone, she is confronted by the desperate José (“C’est toi ! C’est moi !”). While he pleads vainly for her to return to him, cheers are heard from the arena. As José makes his last entreaty, Carmen contemptuously throws down the ring he gave her and attempts to enter the arena. He then stabs her, and as Escamillo is acclaimed by the crowds, Carmen dies. José kneels and sings “Ah! Carmen! ma Carmen adorée!”; as the crowd exits the arena, José confesses to killing the woman he loved.
