I tell you about the VERNACOLO, meetings at the Pancaccini Museum.

The meetings will take place at the Giuseppe Pancaccini museum, located at 13 Scali del Pesce (Venezia district) on a monthly basis dedicated to the origins and history of Livornese vernacular theater.
Franco Bocci together with Alessio Nencioni and Marco Chiappini, representatives of the Compagnie Livornesi Riunite, will illustrate the history of Livornese vernacular theater from its origins to the present day with the participation of distinguished guests from the sector at each meeting who will propose some readings of poems, sonnets, and excerpts from comedies by vernacular authors. The history of the vernacular will be narrated by Beppe Orlandi, the progenitor, and all the major unforgettable interpreters. A story made up of Livornese common people who, with jokes and irony, manage to unravel all the daily problems, without forgetting humility, dignity, and altruism. Our way of doing things brought to the stage still succeeds today. The artists who started to gravitate around this new way of doing theater were many, one above all Giorgio Fontanelli, essayist, poet, and author of theatrical texts which, starting from the commonplaces of the popular neighborhoods – at home, at the market, at the hospital, at the stadium -, managed to bring to life a far from amateurish operation. The most important was “O porto di Livorno traditore”, a staging of a reasoning about the city, its people, language, and traditions. Two of the most popular performers were Gino Lena and Tina Andrei. The first, who won big on the TV show “Lascia o raddoppia” leaving even Mike Bongiorno astonished, brought our vernacular to RAI in Florence as part of a prominent radio broadcast, called “Il Grillo Canterino”, also gaining a decent reputation. The second, after a taste of success – as a singer -, landed in the Livornese scene in the 1960s. Initially, her roles were secondary, since it was customary to have male actors interpret female characters who were able to accentuate the caricature of their mannerisms. However, her talent soon surpassed old beliefs and in 1963, when “Li sfollati” was staged to commemorate the recently deceased Orlandi, she was entrusted with the role of the leading commoner. Even today, the tradition of vernacular theater has not died out and is carried on, updated in terms of themes, by the Compagnie Livornesi Riunite. The meetings, lasting about 2 hours, will take place from 4 pm to 6 pm with free admission at the Giuseppe Pancaccini Vernacular Museum with limited seats.