The performance Senza titolo is a theatrical work that embraces contradiction and the complex realities of the prison environment. The staging unfolds across intertwined and opposing dimensions: reality and dream, confinement and freedom, punishment and transformation, prejudice and inclusion. Within this surreal realm, where thoughts and consciences are constrained, three sequences of dialogues emerge from the text Rinnegato, written by an inmate who has spent 32 years in the Italian prison system.
R. leads us into a linguistic ring, a mental courtroom, a liminal space where the boundaries of reality and consciousness dissolve. In this non-physical dimension, roles and identities remain fluid and ever-shifting, embodied by objects that serve simultaneously as weapons and shields. The characters, known as the Lords Consonant and the Lords Vowel, engage in an endless exchange of roles and perspectives, with no fixed horizon or escape route. The writing is infused with a surreal and ironic dialogue, reflecting the perpetual tension between judgment and being judged. Mr. O, both interrogator and accused, navigates a space-time continuum that merges and overlaps, transforming time into space and space into time. Symbolic objects—such as the hammer, the flamethrower, the soap, and the pen—add depth, emphasizing the dreamlike and metaphorical essence of the text. The narrative challenges the linearity of time and the stability of space, crafting a theatrical experience that urges the audience to reconsider their perception of imprisonment. The characters do not inhabit a traditional three-dimensional reality but exist in a multidimensional space where identities continuously dissolve and reform. Through the relentless interrogation of Mr. O and the other figures, the play delves into the concept of justice. Boldly experimental, the text transports its audience into an alternate dimension, where conventional theatrical structures are overturned, and human laws are placed under scrutiny. The dynamic and interactive nature of the narrative, enriched by wordplay and paradoxes, offers a profound reflection on human nature. Justice, personal conscience, and collective morality are engaged in a visionary and irreverent confrontation—an impossible dialogue where the roles of accused and accuser, witness and defendant, convict and judge, victim and offender blur and overlap. The dramaturgical structure becomes a hall of mirrors, a dance of roles that defies conventions and invites contemplation on justice and shared responsibility. Reality and its reflection cohabit a non-space in a non-time—the prison. Overt actions alternate with surreal gestures, creating an aesthetic and emotional contrast between distortions and moments of clarity. The narrative then shifts back to reality, where the protagonist, a former artist now incarcerated, asserts that prison is not merely a place of suffering but also a space for self-redefinition. Here, creativity and art emerge as tools to transcend the limits of confinement. The physical stage of the prison, designed by Lenci, amplifies this transformation, evoking an underlying unease that ultimately gives way to hope. In a dramatic crescendo, the play culminates in the proclamation of the Manifesto for the Prison of the Future, a collective act envisioning incarceration not as punitive confinement but as a laboratory for cultural innovation and personal growth. Art becomes the bridge between the two narrative dimensions, symbolizing a possible future and serving as the key to redefining the meaning of imprisonment.
Founded in 2012 by the Teodelapio Association, the company #SIneNOmine is renowned for its radical and experimental approach, exploring the transformative potential of theatre within the prison system. Each production arises from collaborative writing with inmates, turning the prison into a creative atelier where artistic expression becomes a tool for dialogue and reflection.
World premiere
with inmates actors, musicians, dancers and technicians
of the #SIneNOmine Company directed by Giorgio Flamini
conception, text adaptation, direction Giorgio Flamini, Sara Ragni, Pina Segoni
dramaturgical writing by Spoleto inmates
the text ‘Ring’ is by the inmate .iu.e..o.e, Renegade
scenes Maria Paola Buono, Giorgio Flamini
assembly and disassembly inmates and Mof Prison Police officers
props and gadgets Scenography workshop second level artistic pathway directed by IIS Sansi-Leonardi-Volta teachers choreographic movement Laura Bassetta, Mariolina Maconio, Serena Perna, Lorena Salis
digital musical creations Anna Flamini
prison noises and sounds recorded and created by foley artist Marco Ciorba and Andrea Caucci, Massimiliano Prezioso of the ‘Creatori di Suoni’ association
musical arrangements for choir and choir direction Francesco Corrias
Choir AdCantus Ensemble Vocale & friends
stage photos Vincenzo Porfilio
videomaker and sound recordings Giovanni Barchi
costumes and make-up #SIneNOmine
service Opera 26 di Bisaccioni Andrea & C. S.a.s.
web designer Simone Bacci
organising secretary Gessica Vagnoli
production Associazione Teodelapio and Casa di Reclusione di Spoleto
with the contribution of the Francesca Valentina and Luigi Antonini Foundation
and the Fondazione Festival dei Due Mondi di Spoleto
The performance is dedicated to Sergio Lenci (Naples, 11 May 1927 - Rome, 20 March 2001), a victim of terrorism, who was the architect of the Spoleto prison.
INFO AND RESERVATIONS
Free performance. An offering to support activities is welcome.
For reservations send an email to sinenomine.festival@gmail.com stating the date of the show you intend to attend, full name, date and place of birth, social security number and phone number. Highlight membership in institutional bodies, Voluntary Associations, justice bodies, culture, education and university. Please note that only those people who will not be admitted due to sold out or surveillance control will be contacted. Only an audience of legal age is admitted.
Please note that dates and times may change.
For updates consult the website www.festivaldispoleto.com
Luca Marinelli
Federico Tiezzi, Sandro Lombardi
Umberto Orsini, Massimo Popolizio
Piero Maccarinelli