The Light of the Angels

This group traces its roots back to several different sources in Italian culture: to the popular festivals, as well as to the great artists of the Renaissance – Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raffaello. The Studio Festi regards them as the forefathers of its theatre movement. The experience of these artists of genius in creating city festivals is an inherent part of the culture which the group has accepted as its own and is suc­cessfully developing. It is for this reason that Pope John Paul II granted «The Studio Festi» the exclusive right and privilege to perform its show at the opening of St. Peters, following the completion of restoration work on the Cathedral in the year two thousand, declared by the Pope to be jubilee year. The Catholic church defined the theme of the jubilee as the reconciliation of all religions. The Studio Festi feels an affinity with the slogan of the baroque age: «Our aim is a miracle» and for this reason it describes the style of its theatre as «neo-baroque». It creates its «miracles» against the backdrop of historical sites surrounded by a natural environment. The open sky, a city square, park, street, forest - all can serve as the backdrop for the show. Water and fire are incorporated into the spectacle. Angel-acrobats, suspended on ropes from air balloons, fly at a height of 10 to 30 meters over the heads of the audience, while on the ground actors dance on stilts. The performance winds up with a firework show - a powerful ending to this street carnival, a kingdom of light, of life transformed.

The Studio Festi is bringing La Luce degli angeli (The Light of the Angels) to Moscow, the first part of the trilogy which was shown in St. Peters’ Square. In Moscow, The Studio has chosen the entrance to Red Square, the Iverskiye Gates, as the backdrop to its show. «This place for many decades was a symbol of Utopia», says Monica Maimone, «for us it is just as important as the square in front of St. Peters». Angels will fly over Red Square, they are all women: The Angel of Mystery,

The Angel of Good Tidings, and The Last Angel. The only man is The Angel of the Word. The Word is a source of masculinity, its element is fire, in the literal and figurative sense. The Pope cried when he watched «La luce degli angeli», a masterpiece of street theatre.

To begin with, at 11 o’clock in the evening, angels descended from the sky and start­ed off the dances in the square. In order to create this show, the company turned to Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raffaelo.