Tag: NYU

Italian American Playwrights Series: “The Rules” by Domenick Scudera

The Italian American Playwrights Series aims to spotlight authentic Italian American voices and stories that reflect the diverse experiences, heritage, and cultural intersections of the Italian American community. Five selected plays are given a public reading at Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò at NYU and at the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute.

The Rules by Domenick Scudera is a sharp, funny, and heartfelt drama about two estranged brothers–one a Long Island mechanic, the other a successful drag performer–reunited for their mother’s funeral. Their car ride home becomes a reckoning with tradition, masculinity, and unconditional love.

Domenick Scudera is a playwright, director, and performer based in Philadelphia. A professor of theater at Ursinus College, he has written numerous plays produced across the United States. His work often explores queerness, family, and identity. Scudera was born and raised in Massapequa, NY, to Sicilian and Barese parents.

The reading is directed by Emma Denson and will be followed by a discussion with the playwright. Organizers: Kairos Italy Theater, Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò at NYU, and the Calandra Italian American Institute. The series is supported in part by UNICO-Brookhaven.

Unpacking Memories of World War II Italian Captivity in Africa: Music, Theatre, Literature, and Art Making in POW Camps

Elena Bellina, New York University

Most Italian POWs imprisoned by Western Allies were captured in Africa during the early stages of World War II and transferred to transit and permanent prison camps across the continent between 1940 and 1947. A significant number of them spent more than six years there before being repatriated to Italy. This presentation analyzes the diverse forms of intellectual and material artistic production developed by Italian POWs detained in different African regions, with particular emphasis on memories and memorabilia they brought home. It investigates the formative role that creativity played during their years of captivity and the enduring influence such creativity and contact with African landscapes and peoples had on their postwar lives, given that many of these men became prominent figures in postwar Italy and elsewhere.

In conjunction with the exhibition Creativity and World War II Italian POWs in the United States.