Leonardo in Manila
Thursday, November 21, 2019 at 7 PM – 9 PM
Cultural Center of the Philippines
CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, 1300 Pasay City, Philippines
BEING LEONARDO DA VINCI, AN IMPOSSIBLE INTERVIEW
The show is Leonardo’s true life portrayed on stage. Discovering the story behind Leonardo, the painter, the scientist, the inventor. His authentic language, his secrets, methods of working, passions.
Renowned Italian director and actor Massimiliano Finazzer Flory’s latest project brings the immensely multi-talented Leonardo da Vinci to life again on the stage.
Being Leonardo da Vinci is a one-act play, which uses theater to stage the Italian genius’s true life, art history and science. Through the format of an impossible interview, Finazzer Flory “physically” becomes Leonardo. Dressed in period costumes and wearing make-up which reconstructs da Vinci’s face, he performs in Renaissance language original texts written by Leonardo himself, among which is the famous “Trattato di pittura” (Painting Treatise). Finazzer Flory’s Leonardo answers questions about his childhood, his civil and military activities, and how to become a “good painter” (bono pittore), and about the relationship between Painting and Science, Painting and Sculpture, Painting and Music. He comments on “The Last Supper” and the figures of the apostles, replies to his enemies’ attacks, prophesies man’s flying, and finally offers maxims and aphorisms to live by in our times.
Language: English and Renaissance Italian (with English subtitles) lingua Rinascimentale.
“The impossible interview” will be conducted by Lito Casaje.
Duration of the show: 70 minutes, no break.
The Cast
Massimiliano Finazzer Flory, a playwright, actor and director, creates new formats where philosophy and literature mingle with performing arts. He is considered one of the leading Italian artists in the international scene, with more than 50 shows in the United States, Asia and Europe. His theatrical play “Being Leonardo da Vinci” was on stage during the EXPO 2015 in Milan for six months. It has had a successful international tour, already staged in: New York – Manhattan – Morgan Library; Washington – The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; San Francisco – American Conservatory Theater; Miami – New World Symphony America’s Orchestral Academy; Saint Petersburg (Russia) – Hermitage Theatre and Moscow (Russia) – Theatre Centre “Na Strastnom”; Tokyo (Japan) – Theatre Drama Kan (Waseda University) and Osaka (Japan) – Knowledge Capital Theatre; Geneva (Switzerland) – CERN, The Globe; Paris (France) – Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux – Arts de la Ville de Paris; Venice (Italy) – La Fenice Theatre; Milano (Italy) – Sacristy of Church Santa Maria delle Grazie.
Lito Casaje, currently teaches and serves as Chair of the Communications Department, and Director of the Department of Performing Arts and Digital Cinema of La Consolacion College Manila. He likewise serves as part-time faculty of the Literature Department of the De La Salle University in Manila. Lito is a recipient of awards, citations and grants from the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, Experimental Cinema of the Philippines, Cultural Center of the Philippines, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Manila Critics Circle, Catholic Mass Media Award, Film Academy of the Philippines and from the University of Exeter Student Drama Playwrights’ Festival.
Few days ago, Mr. Casaje was AWARDED with the prestigious PALANCA AWARD in the category Full lenght play in English.
ORGANIZERS: The Philippine Italian Association, Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines – ICCPI, Embassy of Italy in the Philippines
CO-ORGANIZER: Cultural Center of the Philippines;
CO-PRESENTER: Oman Air Philippines; MAIN SPONSOR: Rustan’s;
SPONSORS: Hotel Jen Manila by Shangri-La, L’Opera, East West Bank.
MINOR SPONSORS: Ralph’s, Casa del Formaggio, Candid coffee
TICKETS RESERVATION: CCP Box Office at 8-832-37-04, TicketWorld at 8-891-9999, PIA at (+632) 8-815-1310 / philippineitalianassociation@gmail.com
