“L’Italia s’è desta” – Italy has Arisen (In Scena! 2014)
Written and directed by Rosario Mastrota and performed by Dalila Desirée Cozzolino – 70 minutes
Performed in Italian and Calabrese Dialect with English Supertitles
“L’Italia s’è desta” tells the story of Carletta, a Shakespearean village fool, who witnesses the kidnapping by the Calabrese mafia – ‘ndrangheta – of the Italian national soccer team. The army, politicians and journalists, too busy creating a media storm around the event, and blinded by the magnitude of the news, don’t notice her. She’s the only person who knows where the team is hidden – but nobody believes her. The show’s title is a quote from the Italian national hymn.
“L’Italia s’è desta” has been awarded numerous prizes in Italy, including the Teatropia 2012 award (Mafia & 
Politics themes), the Restart Award at the Politically Incorrect Festival 2013, and Antimafie Dirittinscena Award 2013. It was also a finalist for the prestigious Hystrio Stage Writing award 2012. “L’Italia s’è desta” is the first play in an original trilogy about mafia by the Compagnia Ragli. The last play of the trilogy, “Ficcasoldi”, had its debut in Rome in January 2015.
Compagnia Ragli
The show is presented by Compagnia Ragli theatre company. The company’s name identifies a starting point: the ‘raglio,’ meaning a donkey’s bray, as an evocative sound that represents meaning that begins from noise. Founded by author and director Rosario Mastrota, who trained and worked with famous Italian theater personalities (Motus and Emma Dante among others) and actress Dalila Desirée Cozzolino, who trained at the Centro Internazionale Formazione delle Arti in Cosenza, Calabria, and the Accademia Corrado Pani in Rome. Dalila Desirée Cozzolino with this show was also awarded the 2012 ‘Premio Centro’ Best Actress Award, the Festival Teatropia di Siena 2012, and the Festival per monologhi UNO, Firenze (2 cl) 2012.
PRESS REVIEW
“But while groups with political agendas can be overly serious, sanctimonious, or even pious, that’s not the case with Mastrota and Cozzolino. Sly word play is never far off in their conversation, and along with heady jokes, L’italia has a remarkable amount of lightness and heart. This puts a surprising spin on the social critique, making it easier to hear the message that the creators so urgently want to spread.” Eliza Bent, TDF