2022 sees two anniversaries: the fortieth anniversary of the epic match at the Sarrià Stadium in Barcelona during the 1982 World Cup, and the twentieth anniversary of the debut of the play Italia-Brasile 3 a 2.
For the occasion, Davide Enia has decided to return to the original work, proposing a new version; the world has changed, there are different pressing issues, shortfalls are more striking than presences, a bitter social conflict looms, the pandemic and the lockdowns have cast doubt over the theatre, its necessity, and its fate.
Italia-Brasile 3 a 2 runs along two parallel lines; collective conscience and intimate conscience. The match between Italy and Brazil becomes a liberating event, and its memory is steeped in joy. Yet there is an aspect that belongs to a more profound level, closely bound to the very essence of the theatre; the relationship between the living and the dead. The presence of those who are no longer here continues to vibrate in this part of life, and the many characters in this piece have passed away; Pablito Rossi is dead, Enzo Bearzot is dead, Socrates is dead, Valdir Peres is dead, Zio Beppe is dead. “Yet – comments Enia – their eyes, their voices, their gestures continue to return like living presences, scene after scene, word after word, goal after goal, opening the doors to the inexpressible, inviting us to abandon ourselves to the mystery, allowing us to glimpse what is shining, harmless, in the darkness”.