Compiling the festival programming is an adventure. We work on instinct, but with rigour. Our vision is like a film that we can foresee without viewing — one that we seek to create. We must make choices, we must recruit, we must convince, we must develop and put together.
There are nice surprises, but also major catastrophes… like the federal elections happening in the middle of our festival (bang!) right when we had planned a magical performance for that night. Bye-bye, magic, but Phénomena will reply from the mouth of its cannons by inviting the artistic and progressive milieu to an evening viewing at La Sala Rossa, along with a few well-oiled tongues.
Building a program also means meeting artists. Finding the right context in which to present their work, supporting them, accompanying them, and then ensuring an audience.
By creating Phénomena, I wanted to provide a platform for unique and unclassifiable artists who break open the genre, who follow their own pace; honest and sincere artists, ones who are at times fragile from attempting something new (since the festival presents essentially unreleased creations).
This year, the theme Shadow and Light allowed me to bring together artists who collectively work wonders with their ingenuity. I also have the pleasure of introducing Fabrizio Montecchi, a leader in the field of shadow theatre, with whom I had the good fortune to complete an internship at the Officina delle Ombre in Piacenza, Italy. The work of such an inspirational and generous artist must not be missed.
And now… Rideau!