Among the many activities that took place during our festival Cinema e Ambiente Avezzano, on 5th and 6th June took place the workshop held by the president of the jury Nicola Nocella. In the evocative location of the Amphitheater of Alba Fucens, the theater workshop got underway, receiving great involvement and enthusiasm from the participants.
The activity lasted a couple of hours and, despite the short time available, the general impressions were very positive and, above all, it was an opportunity to be together and deepen what is the job of the actor after such a difficult year. Nicola offered his teachings regarding techniques to be applied on stage both in regards to theater and film sets. «I learned about listening and that listening about myself and others is very important. I’ve had other approaches with theater workshops as well, so I’ve always looked for prompts that could bring out and bring to attention what our inner need is» she tells us Isabella.
The actor then wanted to translate this teaching to nature, leading the students to pay attention also to what surrounds them, as Rosalinda tells us: «Nicola taught us a lot to listen also to what we have around, which is what we should always do when we go for a walk in the mountains or when we are in a natural environment, that is to pay attention to everything that nature offers us, which often seems obvious, but in reality it is not» and continues «For example, today, while we were doing the exercise, we could hear the birds singing in the background, or the sound of people walking on the grass, or the silence of nature, which is the most beautiful thing, and therefore, in reality, the work of the actor, the truth that one seeks on stage, is also very much linked to the experiences that a person has in his or her own life, and therefore also in and with the environment. The attention focused on what is the present moment and the environment in which we find ourselves is fundamental. Surely there is a link between acting, environment, listening to the external and internal environment, which is our interiority, our soul…it’s a bit of a circle that closes».
So, the sound of the environment is in us, in every living thing. It constitutes us, builds us and passes through us constantly, transporting information in and out, and true listening to nature is something that, yes, you can do on your own, but with inductive work you can obtain extraordinary results. A lot also depends on the ability of the teacher to get involved, to explain, even to put the students at ease and Nicola Nocella, in this, has perfectly hit the point.
«This concept of listening transferred also to nature is very important, because nature is part of us, and as if it were us, we must protect it at all costs and in the best possible way» says Simone, the youngest of the group who, despite his young age, urges his peers to a sort of responsibility towards the environment, a lesson that could be fundamental for the relationship between future generations and the preservation of the planet.
At the end of the activity, according to the participants, the workshop lived up to expectations and, indeed, exceeded them. For some, the atmosphere that the place helped to create made the experience even more precious: «Today we didn’t work on a text, on lines, but, in reality, doing it outdoors here in Alba Fucens was wonderful because it helped to arouse a series of emotions, of sensations that I have rarely felt» asserts Rosalinda.
We congratulate the president of the jury and we hope to collaborate again in other projects and activities that manage to involve as many people as possible.
