Teatro Rigodon is a theatre company based in Rieti (80 km from Rome, Italy). Since 2008, it has developed a variety of cultural and artistic projects, such as the creation of cultural centres, festivals, community plays – all with the aim of questioning social and political concerns through art. From its base in the small village of Rocca Sinibalda, the company designs and manages international projects combining community theatre, intercultural dialogue and international mobility, with the aim of encouraging citizens’ participation in their community through artistic expression.
The company is based in the castle of Rocca Sinibalda (Rocca Sinibalda- Rieti), an international centre for psychology, narrative medicine, international youth meetings and theatre.
From 2010 to 2016 the company organised the festival “Lo specchio e la Luna” Colle di Tora(RI)”, from 2012 to 2013 it managed the Officine Varrone Rieti, a local cultural centre, and since 2014 it has been running the festival “Castello dei Destini inventati” in partnership with Turano Fab Lab (an innovation laboratory following new technologies) and the Commune of Rocca Sinibalda.
Main projects
– Lo specchio e la luna. International community game. Colle di Tora (Rieti, 2010, 2011).
– La sera del Festa. International community theatre play. Officine Fondazione Varrone (Rieti, 2012).
– International youth meeting “Essere del fare”, with Institutet för Scenkonst (Sweden), Officine Fondazione Varrone (Rieti, 2012).
– European Integrity Games (2019) E+ project
– Trust Tour (2019) E+ Project,
– Oratio Mix (2021) E+ Project
Teatro Rigodon’s regular activities over the past nine years have provided it with relevant and essential experience for the success of this project. The company has considerable experience in the organisation of artistic and social projects (festivals, cultural centres, social and community projects, etc.).
It also has a good expertise in facilitating workshops with amateur or youth groups, which makes it easy to facilitate training and teaching sessions. Thanks to their experience in designing and managing events (performances, readings, workshops), they can contribute to the event aspect of the project, especially for the design and good management of multiplier events, which are essential for sharing the methodology with a relevant audience.
The company also has a wide network of contacts that it can activate to promote the methodology and the game to a wider audience. It has established a strong partnership with several universities, such as the University of Molise (Scienze Politiche e delle Istituzioni Europee) and the Unibas University of Basilicata, which can be useful for organising promotional events. In addition, Teatro Rigodon has good experience in initiating local partnerships with NGOs, municipalities and educational institutions.
Alessandro Cavoli, the company’s artistic director, will be responsible for connecting these local partners to its new European network of partners. In addition, the company has extensive experience of working with young people, having organised exchanges and workshops for young people in the past. In addition, the company is well versed in script and playwriting, including the creation of character profiles for inclusion in the plot. Rigodon has participated in four youth exchange programmes in partnership with La Transplanisphère.
The company was recently successful in being selected for an E+ youth exchange ‘Endecameron Youth Exchange’, which was completed in August 2019. Having already participated in several Erasmus+ funded projects, such as Trust 2 (2017), Roots of Trust (2017), Endecameron Youth Exchange (2018) and more recently the European Integrity Games (2019), Trust Tour (2019) and Oratio Mix (2021), the company has a good knowledge of the standards required for E+ reporting and assessment procedures. It has also gained invaluable knowledge of how to communicate effectively and work collaboratively in real time with European partners on long-term cultural projects.
Network
Theatro Rigodon targets local communities, cultural associations, school children, university students, refugees.
Through artistic creations and workshops, Teatro Rigodon collaborates with artists, teachers, academics, experts and representatives of civil society.
Learners: students of the Liceo Classico Rieti, other local students, musicians. In 2010-16, more than 2,000 students, citizens and members of associations were involved in the festivals and community plays.
Regular partners: University of Roma 3 (Dipartimento di Filosofia, Comunicazione e Spettacolo; Scienze della comunicazione); University of Molise (Scienze Politiche e delle Istituzioni Europee). Liceo Classico Marco Terenzio Varrone, Rieti (annual projects and workshops).
Teatro Rigodon a Reti life (local web tv) as project partner. European project partners: art companies, universities, civil society and youth integration organisations, artist-educators, emerging artists, experts; and citizens interested in the relationship between art and politics.
Regular funding: supported by the Comune di Rocca Sinibalda,
Comunità Montana Turano, Provincia di Rieti, Regione Lazio, Fondazione Varrone Rieti, OFAJ DFJW (Franco-German Office for Youth). International Youth Exchange 2016 Supported by the Commune of Rocca Sinibalda, Comunità Montana Turano, Regione Lazio, OFAJ DFJW (Franco-German Youth Office). Since 2010, Teatro Rigodon has organised and directed several activities in the social and artistic field, including national and international exchanges, in the framework of the Community Play projects.
The team
Alessandro Cavoli founded the association in 2008. He is responsible for the design and management of the project.
Giampaolo Puglielli coordinates the administration and Stefano Micheli the project management.
Teacher trainers: Alessandro Cavoli, Anna Mingarelli, Martina Giampietri and Ugo Carlini run the workshops, with the support of other pedagogues (depending on the project and its location).
In the context of European partnerships, other teachers/trainers are often also involved.