“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”.

Stranieri
Tramedautore opens its XX edition with a tribute to Antonio Tarantino, a leading figure in contemporary Italian theatre, who died recently, presenting one of his most powerful and mysterious works, Stranieri, directed by Gianluca Merolli.
Focusing on the fear of diversity and of others, it is the story of a man in his twilight years who lives alone, barricaded in his home and his solitude. Outside are two “foreigners” who are knocking at his door with insistence. In reality, they are mother and son, who are politely and discreetly asking to come in. They come from another land, the land of the dead, from where they have returned to accompany the man into their dimension. The man shouts insults and threats, but the two answer with patience, as if they know that even if the door never opens, the walls will inexorably melt away, cancelling all borders between outside and inside.

Antonio Tarantino won the 1993 Riccione award in 1993 with Stabat Mater and La passione secondo Giovanni, which were followed by Il vespro della Beata Vergine and Lustrini, works staged by the French-Tunisian director Chérif, together with Materiali per una tragedia tedesca (Riccione award 1997), performed at the Piccolo Teatro di Milano in 2000 and winner of the Ubu award.. Other works include La pace, La casa di Ramallah (2002), Stranieri (2007), Nel mondo grande e terribile (2008), Gramsci a Turi (2009), Medea (2011), Cara Medea and Piccola Antigone (2012). In 2017 he received the Ubu award for lifetime achievements.