Invited by the Festival di Eccellenza Feminile to propose a project that mixed my two passions, theatre and artistic swimming, I choose Aeschyuls’ Eumenides. The monstrous furies and their transformation into the benevolent Eumenides, set against the backdrop of the first democratic trial, helped me to think about how offense transforms into justice. Aesthetically inspired by fragments of ancient sculpture and a 1960s Napolitano feminist collective, Le Nemesiche, I found connections between the past and the present, rebellion and law, and diverse embodiments of multiple feminities. The swimmers and actors formed the Chorus of Furies, recalling the spectacular performance style of the Ancient Roman naumachia—the first recorded mention of synchronized swimming.

Press Quotes:

“An original scenic formula, in which actors and artistic swimming athletes share the same ‘stage’… the pool comes alive with the movement of water, pool edges, sounds, and lights… a surprising novelty for the spectator.” — Roberto Ardizzone, Globe Today’s

“A synthesis of beauty and suggestions… that breaks with tradition… where three of the actors interpret the Furies on the edge of the pool, gesturing and dialoguing with the nine athletes in the water to narrate the transformation from vengeance to democratic justice.” — Chiara Tenca, La Nazione