The work is based on the On Urgency methodology, developed by Daniela Marcozzi and Marcozzi Contemporary Theater. This approach involves collecting anonymous testimonies and questionnaires about the urgent concerns (“urges”) of people and territories, which are then translated into performance languages: movement, voice, scenic action, durational performance, and poetic narrative.

The workshop is organized into three main areas:

1. Physical and Vocal Training – Tap into Urgency Through physical and vocal practices and guided improvisations, participants will enter a performance state based on dynamic presence and listening to impulse. The training is inspired by the work of Jerzy Grotowski and the practices developed by Daniela Marcozzi throughout her years of artistic research. The body will be explored as a site of perception, transformation, and access to impulsive energy, focusing on the relationship between movement, voice, emotion, and the external environment.
2. Embodiment of Urges The second phase is dedicated to embodying the urges collected through the surveys. The responses will be explored through performance techniques that transform images, words, emotions, and tensions into shared scenic material. The goal is to understand how an individual urge can resonate with broader cultural, ecological, and political dimensions, turning it into a collective experience.
3. Performance Composition In the final phase, participants will develop individual or collective actions, scenes, and compositions based on the material that emerged during the workshop. The composition will be built in dialogue with the landscape of the Po River and the locations chosen for the final public presentation.

Creation of the Site-Specific Performance

A central element of the project is the distribution of anonymous surveys to the local community. Through targeted questions on the theme of urgency, participants will collect testimonies, images, desires, fears, and reflections from local residents as well as from their own reference communities.

The gathered responses will form the dramaturgical and performative core of the work. Using the On Urgency methodology, people’s words will be transformed into movement, voice, performance actions, and site-specific compositions.

The final performance will take place in two different locations connected to the Po territory and the festival’s activities. The exact sites will be determined later, based on festival logistics and the specific content emerging from the surveys. The intention is to work within two distinct contexts: one more urbanized/anthropized and one more natural, both deeply connected to the water and the river landscape.

Who This Workshop Is For

This workshop is open to performing artists, musicians, researchers, interdisciplinary artists, somatic practitioners, and anyone interested in exploring the relationship between the body, ecology, community, and performance.