Granieri directs Eurydice's Italian premiere

Associate Professor of Theater Carl Granieri returns to the College of the Arts following his sabbatical exploring aspects of Italian theater production and practice. During his time abroad, Granieri was hired by the English Theater of Rome to direct the Italian national premiere of Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice.

Speaking with Elena Buccisano of Italian Insider, Granieri says he appreciated the freedom offered within the European theater process. “There is more time to breathe over here,” said Granieri. “European theater artists tend to get more time in the room than American theatre artists do.”

Eurydice was showcased at Teatro Arciliuto, a historic Italian theater located in the heart of Rome, a mere block from the Piazza Navona. The show was well received, selling out for about half its run and generating glowing reviews in the Italian press.

Granieri told the Italian Insider that he attributed the intimate nature of the Arciliuto as a factor that intensified the play’s overall performance. “There is nowhere to hide in the Arciliuto and in this play nothing is hidden,” said Granieri. “Eurydice is earnest and is bared to the audience from the first moment and the space echoes this essential element of the play.”

In further exploration of the Italian process, Granieri says he received training with master teachers in Rome on “commedia dell'arte” a practice deeply rooted in the traditions of Italian theatre and street performance. Granieri also appeared in a film titled “The Lost Sauce” produced by the Rome Film School and worked as a dialect and scene-coach for Minerva Pictures on the “Miss Fallaci” series set to debut on Paramount+ later this year. 

Granieri says he has his sights set on next spring, when he plans to return to Italy to continue his work within the English-language arts scene and begin a new production with the English Theater of Rome in the following June. Granieri plans to launch a new Roman site for the university’s study abroad program in 2024 that will connect students with the English Theater of Rome and John Cabot University to work on a production project.

Granieri's full interview with Italian Insider

Itailian Insiders review

Pictures from the Eurydice perfromance

9/11/2023

complied and written by Kade Parker