Mario Fratti Award

Award ceremony and reading of the play winner of the fourth edition of the Mario Fratti Award: Paolo Bignami’s Il paese delle facce gonfie – The Country of the Swollen Faces”. Both the Author and Mario Fratti will attend the ceremony.

This is also the closing night of IN SCENA! Festival

The artistic direction of the Festival has announced this year winner with the following motivation: It is an actively involved work in denouncing a world that ignores human rights. It is the author’s intention to develop the desire for change and revolution. It is a beautiful dramaturgical piece in which the monological structure finds its meaning in the fact that the protest, the “revolution,” is accomplished by single individuals in spite of the many. Since the first few lines, a well-defined and well-structured theatricality emerges, the narrative passes through a well-rounded character expressing a resolved dramatic depth, well describing the reality beyond imagination. The lightness of the poetic tone in the face of the drama is striking.

“Il paese delle facce gonfie” is the story of disregarded Health and Safety and a rising voice in denouncing those facts. The text is structured as a monologue and it is the narration of tragic events, portrayed with heart-breaking lyricism, aiming at highlighting the unswerving love for life displayed by the underdogs.

The author, born in Como in 1967, combines his work as a high school teacher with his personal path as a playwright, continuing researching through workshops and collaborations with other authors. He writes about contemporary topics and recent history, and has been awarded the Fersen Award twice, in addition to other recognitions.