Teatro dell'Ortica

Teatro dell'Ortica was born in Via Allende in Molassana, Genoa in 1996 in order to develop a community theatre project. In collaboration with the New CIEP Association we organizes a theatrical season for children and adults, which has become a cultural benchmark in the Molassana neighbourhood over the years.

Teatro dell'Ortica deals with social theatre involving disadvantaged and marginalized people. Since 1999 the workshop "Stranità", a theatre company made up of 30 psychiatric patients and a dozen of health professionals and actors has been working in collaboration with the ASL3 of Genoa (Ligurian health company). The company has performed in major theatres in the region with the shows "Voci di dentro" and "L'altra bellezza" Since 2006 a similar project "I viaggiatori sognanti" has been developed with the ASL1 of Sanremo.

Teatro dell'Ortica has been managing social drama workshops for over 20 years, knows and carries out social networking with institutions, associations, cooperatives and other theatres.

Our theatrical program and training is based on knowledge of the area and its needs.

Since 2006 we have been organizing theatre workshops for children, teenagers and adults where the artistic aspect is supported by the educational and social side.

As per 2005 there is a two­year course for Theatrical Pedagogical Worker (specialized training that combines pedagogy and theatre) in collaboration with the University of Genoa.

Teatro dell'Ortica offers workshops in schools and for the city of Genoa is one of the organizers of Tegras theatre festival for schools in Genoa. Since 2009 it organizes the Theatre Festival of the Ancient Aqueduct. An opportunity to combine theatre and knowledge of the area and the historic sites around the ancient aqueduct of Genoa, with shows in unconventional places and guided tours.

Since 2008 Teatro dell'Ortica participates in projects of European partnership about the use of social theatre.

Since 2006 the project "Oltre il Cortile" is active working with prisoners from the prison of Marassi until 2009 and the prison of Pontedecimo since 2010.

The project includes a shared journey “from afar” with children, parents and teachers of the primary school Daneo of Genoa before, and with the Anne Frank school of Serra Riccò and the secondary school Don Milani of Genoa now.

5 shows have been made, the last one, "Contrasti urbani" debuted at the Teatro Duse of Genoa in May 2015.

Our method is pedagogical.

We think that workshop and final result (final performance) must have the same importance and relevance and high quality of work.

In fact the first step of our work is to achieve more personal opportunities of social inclusion for the prisoners. For example: self­confidence, self­ assurance, a better sociability and social relations, social skills, sense of duty and responsibility for themselves and the other persons. Another most important part of our work is the one with the "outdoor community" (parents, teachers and children).

We work with them in a permanent theatre workshop to achieve and enduring education about social inclusion.

Inside and outside community know themselves by letters, pictures and drawings. We don't work on a traditional drama, but we create our own text together, gleaning by autobiographical narration art and physical theatre.

Inside and outside meet each others 3 times before the final performance: twice in prisonand once in the outside theater.

Our performance are always made in the most important theaters of Genoa.