Tre studi per una crocifissione

Three studies for a crucifixion is a work by Danio Manfredini first performed in 1992. It includes three studies, each one exploring a different archetype of specific human conditions in a time when such conditions were starting to become socially acknowledged.

In the first study, a patient is seen standing in a psychiatric ward among some empty chairs. The room is inhabited by the presences that marked his life while the absences become the patient’s interlocutors in a monologue that he undertakes to survive the everyday routine.

The second study, inspired by Fassbinder’s “In a Year with 13 Moons“, is the story of an orphan undergoing gender reassignment surgery in order to win a man’s love. This will turn out not to be the solution to his needs, causing him to adapt to a new life his choice led him to.

The main character of the third study based on Koltès’ “La Nuit juste avant les forêts” is a foreigner living in a European city. Uprooted from his homeland, he is faced with a metropolitan landscape that is quite different from his country of origin. On a rainy night, he seeks a companion to share an unfortunate experience.

Despite their conditions which stand as an obstacle to social integration, the three characters try to adhere to their fate amidst the feelings and sufferings resulting from their human existence. The interpreter who embodies these three stories switches from one character to another and tries to transfer their individual drama to the audience.

Duration: 70 minutes