The betrayed simplicity

Portrait of Marta Cuscuna

Satire for an actress and puppets on the luxury of being a woman, freely inspired by the literary works of Arcangela Tarabotti and the history of the Poor Clares of Udine.
In the 15th century, having a daughter was perceived as quite a significant problem: in the eyes of the father, she represented part of the family’s economic heritage that went up in smoke at the moment of marriage. To counter the continuous inflation of dowries and to find an alternative solution to "dispose" of their surplus daughters, fathers had a solution: to force them into a convent to have them become nuns. The nuns of Santa Chiara in Udine developed a truly unique form of resistance by transforming the convent in Udine into a space of contestation, freedom of thought, desacralization of religious dogmas, and the macho culture with an unimaginable cultural fervor for women of the time, who were excluded from political, economic, and social power. The "semplicità ingannata" tells the story of the first seeds that birthed the claims of these 15th-century women, trying to reignite a revolution that is still glaringly relevant today.

Born in Monfalcone, a small working-class town known for its shipyards, it is through her training at the European School for the Art of the Actor (prima del teatro) that Marta Cuscunà encounters some of the greatest masters of contemporary theater. In 2006, she performs in "merma neverdies," a puppet performance inspired by Joan Mirò directed by Joan Baixas. In 2007, she acts in "indemoniate," a show by Giuliana Musso and Carlo Tolazzi directed by Massimo Somaglino. In 2009, she is found in Spain for "zoé, inocencia criminal," a production by the Teatre de la Claca company from Barcelona directed by Joan Baixas. In 2011, thanks to a scholarship, she participates in "... only think of that about me ...," an unprecedented collaboration conceived by the actors and musicians of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, directed by Christian Burgess. In 2012, she directs her second show: "la semplicità ingannata," a satire for actor and puppets on the luxury of being women. She then plays Glauce in the show "la città ha fondamenta sopra un misfatto," in 2013, a theatrical rewriting of Medea by Christian Wolf directed by Giuliana Musso. In 2015, she creates "sorry, boys," the third show in her trilogy on female resistances. In 2020, she is selected for "chantiers d’europe" with "il canto della caduta.” Since 2022, she has been an associated artist at Piccolo Teatro in Milan. "Corvidae. When species look at each other" is created in 2023 and will be notably presented in France in 2025 at the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris.

Note:
Meeting "Puppet Theater & Female Resistances," Saturday, January 23 at 4 PM, Alexis de Tocqueville Library in Caen

Practical Information: 
Informed Public
Paid, from €3 to €16

Duration: 1h30
Shows in Italian with French subtitles 

Cooperation France / Italy
Partnerships: 3 shows & 1 meeting, presented in partnership by four cultural structures of Caen-la-mer
As part of the Millenium and the national highlight "punch - puppets in full form."