Company #SIneNOmine
Senza Titolo
Manifesto for a Futurist Prison
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 the inmate actors, musicians, dancers, and technicians
of the Compagnia #SIneNOmine directed by Giorgio Flamini
concept, text adaptation, direction Giorgio Flamini, Anna Flamini, Sara Ragni, Pina Segoni
writing with the inmates of Spoleto
inspired by and interwoven with citations from Giacomo Giardina, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Fillia, Sergio Lenci
the text Ring is by the inmate author .IU.E..E .E..O.E, Rinnegato
sets and costumes Maria Paola Buono, Giorgio Flamini
set assembly and disassembly: inmates and correctional officers of Mof
stagecraft: prison carpentry workshop, inmates and correctional officers
set elements and gadgets: Scenography Workshop, second-level artistic course DIRECTED BY THE TEACHERS of IIS Sansi-Leonardi-Volta
choreographic movement Laura Bassetta, Mariolina Maconio, Serena Perna, Lorena Salis
digital musical creations Anna Flamini
accordion music composed and performed by the inmate .E..I.A..O .IA.E..I
production
Associazione Teodelapio, Casa di Reclusione di Spoleto
with the support of Fondazione Francesca Valentina e Luigi Antonini
and Fondazione Festival dei Due Mondi di Spoleto
prison noises and sounds recorded and created by foley artists Marco Ciorba and Andrea Caucci, Massimiliano Prezioso of the Associazione “Creatori di Suoni”
choral arrangements and choral direction Francesco Corrias
AdCANTUS Ensemble Vocale & Corale dell’Acqua Dolce
Altos Alessandra Angelini, Paola Ciampetti, Irene Gemma, Roberta Franca Menichelli, Marta Perugini, Tiziana Santoni, Francesca Venturini
Tenors Villelmo Bartolini, Giuseppe Benedetti, Andrea Franchini, Andrea Giampaoli, Rocco Zulevi
Basses Giacomo Gigli, Carlo Montini, Alessandro Pedrazzi, (Marco Pedrazzi Pimpinicchi), Alessandro Rughi
songs Vivere and Mamma by Carlo Buti
performance photos Vincenzo Porfili
videomaker and audio recordings Giovanni Barchi
costumes and makeup #SIneNOmine
technical service Opera 26 di Bisaccioni Andrea & C. S.a.s.
web designer Simone Bacci
production secretary Gessica Vagnoli
The performance is dedicated to Sergio Lenci
(Naples, 11 May 1927 – Rome, 20 March 2001),
victim of terrorism and architect of the Casa di Reclusione di Spoleto.
Acknowledgments
Monique Veaute, Paola Macchi; Director of the Casa di Reclusione di Spoleto Bernardina Di Mario; Commander of the Correctional Unit Antonietta Troiso; Fondazione Festival dei Due Mondi and the Mayor of Spoleto Andrea Sisti; Surveillance Magistrate of Spoleto Grazia Manganaro; Surveillance Office of Spoleto; Fondazione Francesca, Valentina e Luigi Antonini and Camillo Corsetti Antonini; Associazione Teodelapio; Deputy Director Giada Gatticchi, Pietro Carraresi, Head of the Educational Area, all educators and the rehabilitation department; all staff of the Spoleto Correctional Police; Deputy Commissioner Nicola Borrelli, Inspector Sandro Scarponi, officers and inspectors supervising the workshops, Mof, GOM officers; Ruggero Lenci and the Lenci family; Rai Umbria and Rai Per la Sostenibilità - ESG; the schools, the offices of the Directorate and Command, service heads, the registry office, officers and inspectors of the detention wings; Cesp – Rete delle Scuole Ristrette and Anna Grazia Stammati; IIS Sansi-Leonardi-Volta and Mauro Pescetelli, IPSEOASC G. De Carolis and Roberta Galassi, the prison’s head carpenter Aleandro Pennella; the press office of the Festival and Marco Ferullo, the editorial staff and Laura Scolari, the Festival's stagecraft team and Ottorino Neri, Manuela Fraschetti, Monica Trevisani, and the entire staff of the Festival dei Due Mondi.
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
Senza Titolo is a performance that embraces contradiction and delves into the complexity of the prison environment. The staging unfolds across multiple intertwined and opposing dimensions: reality and dream, confinement and freedom, punishment and transformation, prejudice and inclusion. At the heart of this unreal world, among constrained thoughts and confined consciences, emerge three sequences of dialogue drawn from the text Rinnegato, written by a man who has spent thirty-two years in Italian prisons.
R. leads us into a linguistic boxing ring, a courtroom of the mind, an alternate space where the boundaries between reality and consciousness dissolve. In this non-physical realm, roles and identities are fluid and ever-changing, embodied by objects that serve both as weapons and as shields. The characters, the Lords Consonant and the Lords Vowel, exist in a constant exchange of roles and perspectives, without a fixed horizon or point of escape.
The writing is imbued with surreal and ironic dialogue, reflecting the persistent tension between judging and being judged. Mr. O, who serves simultaneously as questioner and accused, moves through a space-time that folds in on itself—where time becomes space and space turns into time. Symbolic objects—such as a gavel, a flamethrower, a bar of soap, and a pen—add depth, emphasizing the dreamlike and metaphorical nature of the piece.
The narrative defies linear time and stable space, crafting a theatrical experience that invites the audience to reconsider their perception of incarceration. The characters are not three-dimensional figures but rather inhabit a multidimensional space, where identities dissolve and are continuously reconstructed. Through Mr. O’s endless questioning—and that of the other figures—the concept of justice is explored in all its complexity.
The script stands out for its bold experimentation and its ability to transport the audience into an alternate dimension, where traditional theatrical conventions are subverted and human laws are placed on trial. Its dynamic and interactive structure, rich in wordplay and paradox, offers a profound meditation on human nature. Justice and personal and collective conscience become the ground for a visionary, irreverent confrontation: an impossible dialogue where accused and accuser, witness and defendant, condemned and judge, victim and offender blur and overlap.
The dramatic text becomes a hall of mirrors, a dance of roles that challenges convention and invites reflection on justice and collective responsibility. Reality and its reflection coexist in a non-space within a non-time: the prison. Concrete actions alternate with surreal ones, creating an emotional and aesthetic contrast between distortion and focus.
The narrative continues into the realm of reality, where the protagonist—an artist turned inmate—claims that prison is not only a place of suffering but also a space for self-redefinition, where creativity and art emerge as tools to challenge the limitations of confinement. The real-life set design, inspired by the prison architecture of Lenci, reinforces this transformation, suggesting a sense of unrest destined to evolve into hope.
In its dramatic climax, the work culminates with the proclamation of the Manifesto for the Prison of the Future—a collective act envisioning prison no longer as a punitive space, but as a laboratory for cultural innovation and personal growth. Art becomes the bridge between the two narrative dimensions: a symbol of a possible future and the key to redefining the meaning of detention.
The theatre company #SIneNOmine, founded in 2012 by the Teodelapio Association, is known for its radical and experimental approach, exploring the expressive potential of theatre within the prison context. Each production emerges from collaborative writing with inmates, transforming prison into a creative atelier where artistic expression becomes a tool for dialogue, confrontation, and transformation.
Giovanni Grasso, Piero Maccarinelli
Umberto Orsini, Massimo Popolizio
Federico Tiezzi, Sandro Lombardi
Luca Marinelli