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An evening at the improved, Italian style
Italian theater director Sebastiano Salvato brings his new 'cultural
revolution to Kyiv. The twenty - something energized and
determined actors from The New Theater on Pechersk have
conceived of revolution since their formation, but until last year,
lacked the leadership to make any moves.
Now, thanks in part to the Italian Institute of Culture, Sicilian -
born director Sebastiano Maria Salvato has come to town to lead the
group in a new direction – a direction which is revolutionary for
Kyiv's somewhat stagnant and closed - minder theatrical
community.
Salvato brings with him to Ukraine an explosion of fresh air in
the form of a multi - cultural perspective.
"The world changes in a turbulent way," he said via e - mail.
"Theater ages as people do, and both should keep open, willing to see
the modern world as it is with its various aesthetic and cultural
traditions from diverse countries. Otherwise, an actor will be locked
up inside his/her own cultural province and will be doomed as
to death."
Based in Rome, the 42 - year - old Salvato has maintained a
youthful appearance and spirit by roving around the world, working
for one - stop theater projects in Crete, Cyprus, Argentina,
Uzbekistan and now, Ukraine. His mission: to bring Italian culture
to countries hungry for experimental, living theater.
In Salvato's case, this means a traditional Italian theatrical
style called commedia dell'arte (comedy of art). In this type of
theater, actors do not work from a written script. Performances are
based instead on an outlined scenario, around which actors weave
improvised sequences, comic routines called lazzi
(jests) and a few previously - memorized monologues.
Commedia dell’arte heralded the first truly professional actors in
Europe and, after opera, is considered Italy's greatest contribution to
th
the Renaissance theater tradition. It originated in the mid - 15

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