Die weisse Rose_ The White Rose

Direction: Anna De March e Valentino Bettega

Dramaturgy: Anna De March e Valentino

Actors: Frida Marascalchi (12) Alvise Marascalchi (16) Anna De March (27) Valentino Bettega (29)

Other credits: Music by: Higuita Doom Set Design by: Valentino Bettega Lighting by: Nicole Slongo

Key words: Resistenza pacifica- prima adolescenza- fiaba- sogno- azione

Production: The White Rose was born out of the necessity to explore the concept of peaceful resistance.

Year of production: 2024

Theatrical genre: Children's theatre (11-100)

Research and Concept



The research work that led to the creation of this show drew inspiration both from the historical context of the White Rose and the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Hans and Sophie Scholl are brother and sister, and like Hansel and Gretel from the famous Grimm fairy tale, they find themselves lost in a dense and frightening forest: Nazi Germany.



The metaphor of the impenetrable forest materializes in the disorientation of young Germans under the Hitler regime. Enticed by the promise of belonging to a chosen race, they found themselves, more or less unconsciously, participating in the deadly advance of Nazi power.



The protagonists of this story represent the possibility of a non-heroic, human, everyday, instinctive resistance, accessible to everyone. Resisting means claiming one's own freedom and that of the community to restore value to humanity.



The antagonism of the witch lies in her inability to sever her connection to the forest and renounce the role of power it has imposed on her. The witch adheres to the role assigned to her by the fairy tale, just as Hansel and Gretel's parents believe they have no choice but to abandon their children. In these characters, the convenience of adhering to power prevails.



The siblings in the fairy tale, like the Scholl siblings, have the courage to question their roles in the world and history, reclaiming their dignity.



Languages



The show is based on the vision of images and actions supported by sound effects, musical pieces, and voices. This takes place in a set where veils create two separate environments and a form of vision through transparencies and opacities. The intent is to create a set that, like in a dream, does not grant a definitive and clear vision. The layers created on stage will serve to highlight or obscure details, actions, or characters.



The language of the characters (Hansel and Gretel, the witch, the parents, Hans and Sophie) is born from a mixture of the German language of the fairy tale, that of the Third Reich, and our mother tongue: Italian. The presence of the latter will serve to make the fundamental parts understandable as well as to weaken the direct reference to the condition of Nazi Germany, which is in fact the condition of Fascist Italy. The voice of the actors is mediated by amplification or recording, and not all dialogues occur live.



Final Intentions



The show aims to propose to the audience a value-based vision or the context of a possible value creation, to adequately face the social and political difficulties of our time. The fairy-tale images lead the audience on a journey where they can directly experience the decoding and formulation of their own critical thinking and vision.