a show by Fabio Cherstich
theme: memory and oblivion, queer community, artists’ biographies
age: 16-18 years
Visual and textual content, archival documents, unpublished material, and biographies of underground figures Patrick Angus, Larry Stanton, and Darrel Ellis, who died of AIDS, converge on stage to tell forgotten stories of the New York queer scene of the 1980s. The project stems from numerous trips to the United States by theater and opera director and set designer Fabio Cherstich, who personally collected images and interviews to bring to light the queer landmarks of those years, the fears linked to the first AIDS deaths, and the thoughts and reflections of a community of extraordinary artists.
The project stems from a personal urgency to restore memory to lives that have remained in the shadows. Typical of Cherstich’s style, the piece mixes different languages and is halfway between a show, an exhibition, and a memorial, giving voice to lives that have been forgotten for too long.
Fabio Cherstich, theater and opera director and set designer, has worked in numerous theaters, including the Marinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, the Teatro dell’Opera in Rome, and the Opera de Marseille. He is the creator and director of the Operacamion opera on the road project, described by the New York Times as “a unique project capable of bringing opera back to its origins.” He teaches theater directing aesthetics at the Paolo Grassi School of Dramatic Arts in Milan and at the IULM Free University of Communication in Milan. He has always been interested in contemporary art, with a particular focus on the New York underground scene of the 1980s and 1990s, and since 2019 he has been the curator of Larry Stanton’s Summer.
CREDITS
written, directed and interpreted by Fabio Cherstich
drammaturgy Anna Siccardi e Fabio Cherstich
video Francesco Sileo
direction assistant Diletta Ferruzzi
stage direction Sunhye Won
commissioned by FOG Triennale Milano Performing Arts Festival
in collaboration with Emilia Romagna Teatro ERT /Teatro Nazionale
part of Teatro Arcobaleno #12