Kairos Italy Theater together with NYU Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo’ is bringing its successful production The Worth of Women to Italy. On September 18, 2022 Il Merito delle Donne will debut in Pordenone at La Scena delle Donne, the Festival about women in the arts directed by Bruna Braidotti. The performance will take place in the garden of the Palazzo Loredan-Porcia and it is part of the program of Pordenone Libri, an annual event focused on books, 2022 partner of La Scena delle Donne. Moderata Fonte was the pseudonym of Modesta Pozzo (1555–92), a Venetian woman who was something of an anomaly. Neither cloistered in a convent nor as liberated from prevailing codes of decorum as a courtesan might be, Pozzo was a respectable, married mother who produced literature in genres that were commonly considered “masculine”—the chivalric romance and the literary dialogue. Published in 1600, The worth of women takes the form of the latter, with Fonte creating a conversation among seven Venetian noblewomen. The dialogue explores nearly every aspect of women’s experience in both theoretical and practical terms. These women, who differ in age and experience, take as their broad theme men’s curious hostility toward women and possible cures for it. Through this witty and ambitious work, Fonte seeks to elevate women’s status to that of men, arguing that women have the same innate abilities as men and, when similarly educated, prove their equals. Through this dialogue, Fonte provides a picture of the private and public lives of Renaissance women, ruminating on their roles in the home, in society, and in the arts. The Italian cast includes: Laura Caparrotti (Adriana), Dalila Cozzolino (Leonora), Laura Garofoli (Cornelia), Sylvia Milton (Corinna), Marta Mondelli (Lucrezia), Caterina Nonis (Elena), Viola Misiti (Virginia). The show is co-directed by Laura Caparrotti and Jay Stern, who also adapted it from the homonymous book. The Italian presentations are produced by Kairos Italy Theater in collaboration with Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo’ at NYU. The administration is by Compagnia Ragli. Kairos Italy Theater is also preparing a documentary, directed by Caparrotti and Stern, on Moderata Fonte and her legacy to today’s women. For info and reservation for Sunday September 18, 2022 at 630PM, please contact +39 0434 40115 – +39 340 0718557 www.compagniadiartiemestieri.it