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Ravenna Festival, ''Pietra di diaspro''

Ravenna

A picture of the backstage that deceives the observer.In the background we can see two people appearing at the proscenium of the stage and watching the stalls of the PalaDeAndré in Ravenna.The proscenium, however, is on the left, out of the field of the picture, while what one can see ...
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... is its image which is reflected in a square ZSM - Magic Mirror backdrop with the sides of 7 m.The top part of the backdrop is in semitransparency, in a situation of backlighting towards the daylight that filters through the coverage of the PalaDeAndré.
The whole proscenium is veiled by a large NTR - Tripolina curtain black colour, 600 cm high, here collected to facilitate the crossing during the rehearsals of the show.On the left in the middle are suspended some NTR - Tripolina curtains, white colour.
The right of the photo is occupied by a second ZSM - Magic Mirror, identical to the previous one, with which it forms an angle of about 120º.The project by the scenographer and visual designer Ezio Antonelli ...
... placed the two ZSM - Magic Mirror backdrops behind a section of a cap with a staircase to go up, while each side of the proscenium was provided with two wings made of white NTR - Tripolina which form a 90° angle.1 - Tripolina string curtains, white colour2 - Tripolina string curtain, black colour3 - Fondali ZSM - Magic Mirror
The central round curtain over the hemisphere is also made of white NTR - Tripolina, as well as the two big backdrops placed on the back to form an ''X'' with the ZSM - Magic Mirror backdrops.The proscenium is completely veiled by black NTR - Tripolina.Ezio Antonelli planned to use all the NTR - Tripolina backdrops ...
... in transparency and with projections, with the exception of those on the sides of the proscenium, which were devoted to reflect the projections only.Installed by the Teatro dell'Opera of Rome, what the same Antonelli called ''an optical device'' was then sorrounded by a large Stage masking made of COS - Oscurante molton.
The walk of the actress is reflected from both of the ZSM - Magic Mirror, while a second actress, on top of the central hemisphere, acts wrapped in the transparency of the round curtain made of white NTR - Tripolina.The game of lights and projections takes place on various levels made up of black NTR - Tripolina that veils the whole proscenium, by two ZSM - Magic Mirror backdrops and by the white NTR - Tripolina backdrops placed behind the mirrors.
Video opera
Music
Libretto
texts freely drawn from the Book of Revelation
and from poems by Paul Celan
First night
Rome, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, 10/6/2007

Scenography,
virtual image
Costume design
Alessandro Lai
Stage direction
Cristina Mazzavillani Muti

Production,
staging

«With the combination of ZSM - Magic Mirror and NTR - Tripolina we obtain the creation of many different levels, the depth of the scene increases considerably and, at the same time, we lose the perception of what is real and what is reflected.»
Ezio Antonelli, interview released to Alfio Morelli, Sound&Lite, n. 68.

Video & Documentation

Ravenna Festival, ''Pietra di diaspro''

Ravenna Festival, ''Pietra di diaspro''

Materials used in this production

COS - Oscurante

Duvetyne and blackout fabrics

HSE - Tempesta

Silks and satins

NTR - Tripolina

Materials for string curtains

Tripolina string curtains

Projection / transparency backdrops

ZSM - Mirrors made of QSM - Magic Mirror Film

Projection / transparency backdrops

Information on data processing