About

KIT- KAIROS ITALY THEATER was founded in 2000 in New York. KIT’s mission is to create a cultural exchange program between Italy, the US and the international community, to unveil artistic and creative sides of these two countries to the world. In the States, Kairos Italy Theater is dedicated to spreading the Italian Culture and to creating an Italian Cultural Network in order to support and further increase the knowledge of Italy in the States.

KIT has been produced various events such as: at The Kitchen and at The Fringe Festival 1998 Black Paintings; Necklaces at the Abrons Art Center; Cabaret s’IL vous plait! (series of comic sketches from the 50s to the present); Una conversazione continuamente interrotta (excerpts by Ennio Flaiano); “Fellini-Flaiano: a different take” in the year 2000; “Caricatures from Tolentino” in 2002 “Fellini and The Myth of I Vitelloni in Italian Cinema” in 2003. Since May 2003, KIT has been presented the Double Theatre Experience: one act performed first in English and then in Italian. Double Theatre performances have been: Alessia by Mario Fratti; the US Premiere of The Papaleo Case by Ennio Flaiano as well as different readings of Italian authors. KIT has produced also shows on and about Italian culture like ABC L’Italiano S’Impara Cosi’, A Roman Tour, and How Bread met the Rolling Pin all written by Laura Caparrotti, and Eduardo De Filippo’s Philosophically Speaking at the Bernie West Theater at Baruch College. Since its foundation, KIT Inc. has the honor to be the representative of the Family De Curtis worldwide and is responsible for the traveling exhibition on Toto’, “Excerpts of a Prince named Toto’”. On the educational side, KIT is organizing classes of Italian&Theatre for children and adults in NY and NJ. In Spring 2007 KIT has produced the first KIT reading series – to be presented annually – dedicated to Italian playwrights unknown or almost unknown in the States. In Spring 2008, KIT has opened the bi-lingual online magazine Kit in the City, a bi-lingual online news-magazine dedicated to cultural and every-day events in New York and Rome.

Once upon a time… KIT!

Many years ago (I was still in Italy) I have started my own theatre co mpany with some friends, all actors like me. We decided to call us with the temporary name of Le Gramaglie, which was fun, but didn’t feel completely right. Then one day, in Rome (my city), while I was walking through an exhibition dedicated to the Greek  sculptor Lysippos, I have discovered a fascinated figure, Kairos, which Lysippos replicated a lot.

Kairos was a semi-god, with a lot of hair in the forehead while completely bold in the back. He symbolized the right occasion grabbed at the right moment: in fact, you can grab it when it’s coming (the hair in the forehead), but when it’s gone, you won’t catch it anymore… I found the concept to be beautiful, an hymn to life lived at full, an exhortation to grab the chance, even when it looks risky, just because your heart says that is the right one.

This is the very simple reason I have called my company Kairos, and when I have came to the States, I have just added Italy to better show what the company was about.

After so many years, I can say that I was right: I took many chances, and I still do, and it’s still very beautiful and rewarding!
Laura Caparrotti, Artistic Director