Folk Music and Modernity in Southern Italy

A symposium presented by the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute.

This seminar, with accompanying music and video, explores the social changes occurring in contemporary Naples and southern Italy as presented in the theatrical performance of  “A Global Dionysus in Napoli: The (Un)real story of Marcello Colasurdo” at Manhattan’s La Mama Experimental Theatre (September 21^st-23^rd and 28^th-30^th).  Based on the life of Colasurdo, “A Global Dionysus in Napoli” (produced by OPS, a Naples-based cultural association) is an interdisciplinary cultural project blending music, theatre, art, and video, that takes place on an imaginary television show dedicated to contemporary incarnations of Dionysius.

Some of the issues to be discussed as part of the symposium are: the musical biography of artist Marcello Colasurdo; the creation and background of the performance “A Global Dionysus in Napoli”; the uses and changing meanings of Southern Italian folk music, in particular tammuriata; folk music as cultural resistance and a form of collective memory; the adaptation of social and political materials to dramatic performances, among other topics.

Participants include:

• Marcello Colasurdo, world-renown artist of the tammuriata, a deeply-rooted music and dance style from Campania long associated with religious devotional practices. Colasurdo was the founding members of the politically-active folk music troupe ‘E Zezi and later Spaccanapoli.
• Marco Messina, DJ and a founding member of the seminal Italian hip hop-rock group 99 Posse.
• Vernon Douglas, actor who has worked on the London stage, in particuar the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Exchange, and the Gate Theatre, among others.
• Paolo Favero, antroplogist and author of the script for “A Global Dionysus in Napoli.
• Giuliana Ciancio and Nicola Ciancio, mise-en-scène directors for “A Global Dionysus in Napoli.
• Joseph Sciorra, folklorist

This event is free.