Golem

A visual and poetic performance about mud as a substance that simultaneously attracts and repels, as a metaphor for emotions and as the tangible experience of people whose lives were radically transformed by the floods in Romagna in May 2023. Through a combination of puppetry, animation and documentary imagery, it explores the creative and destructive power of nature and the complex relationship between human beings and the natural world.

“Here, words fall silent and almost entirely give way to a narrative that unfolds through suggestive images, symbolic actions, digital effects that merge reality and imagination, video projections dancing between shadows and light and expanding the boundaries of the visible, sounds that vibrate like the strings of the soul, and emotions that emerge from unexpected sources.”
— Gianni Ricci and Stefano Forte for Biennale Teatro 2024

Based in Ravenna, Italy, TEATRO DEL DRAGO is the puppet theatre company of the Monticelli family, established in 1822 by Ariodante Monticelli. Today, brothers Mauro and Andrea represent the fifth generation in this unbroken family tradition. Teatro del Drago follows two distinct artistic directions: tradition and experimentation. The tradition that informs their art and craft is as ancient as that of the Roman theatre, the Italian puppet theatre, and Commedia dell'Arte. But Teatro del Drago is also at the forefront of experimentation with their ability to combine puppetry and shadow, text and physical performance, making Teatro del Drago a renowned theatre company in Europe.