In Scena! Italian Theater Festival to Present Chiara Arrigoni's PELLE in May

In Scena! Italian Theater Festival NY will present a reading of the 2025 Hystrio Award Translation and Adaptation Mentorship Winner Chiara Arrigoni and her play Pelle on Friday, May 9 at 5:30pm at Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo.

The In Scena! Italian Theater Festival collaborates with the Hystrio Award - Scritture di Scena, one of the most prestigious theater awards in Italy, to mentor an Italian playwright on their play's translation and adaptation. The winning playwright travels to New York to collaborate with a local playwright and a translator on the English adaptation of their play.

During the 2025 edition of In Scena! the Festival will welcome Chiara Arrigoni, the playwright selected with the play Pelle for the Hystrio Scritture di Scena special mention for In Scena! in the 2024. The writer will be mentored for a period over 15 days by Antoinette LaVecchia, an Italian American playwright and actress, following the combined project of Kairos Italy theater and Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo' to give more visibility to Italian American Playwrights. The play Pelle will be translated by Giulia Cowie, the official translator for the Hystrio Scritture di Scena Mentorship.

Chiara Arrigoni

(Playwright) graduated with honors in Classical Literature and earned a diploma in Playwriting and Screenwriting from the Silvio d'Amico Academy of Dramatic Arts in Rome, where she co-founded the theatre company Le ore piccole with other former students. She has twice received a special mention in the Hystrio Scritture di scena award, one of the most prestigious theatre prizes in italy. Her plays have been selected for festivals and showcases in Italy, France, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, and have received several national and international prizes. She took part in the NEON_10 project by Fabulamundi Playwriting Europe across Italy, Poland, and Romania. She works as a story editor for both cinema and literature.

Antoinette LaVecchia

(Playwright Mentor) is an award-winning Actress and Playwright as well as a Drama League directing Fellow and Master Games teacher. Most recently, Antoinette played Elena Skate in the Russo Brothers film, The Electric State (Netflix), and has a recurring role in the reboot of Mad About You (Prime Video). She has appeared on Broadway and many Off-Broadway stages including Playwrights Horizons, Mint Theatre, Primary Stages, Mamma Roma and How to be a Good Italian Daughter at the Cherry Lane, and Soho Playhouse. Regionally, most recently played Serafina in The Rose Tattoo (Shakespeare Theatre of NJ) TV: Bull, The Deuce, FBI, Blindspot, L&O: SVU, Blue Bloods, The Sopranos Film: 31 Candles, Team Marco, Deliver Us From Evil, Delirious. Education: MFA Tisch/NYU, Moscow Art Theatre, Philippe Gaulier. Member: Dramatist Guild, Drama League Fellow. Awards: Fox Fellowship, The Anna Sosenko Grant, BroadwayWorld.com CT Best Actress Award, CT Critics Circle Award. She is a published playwright and has taught Acting & Theatre Games at NYU Tisch grad acting, The Actors Center Workshop Co., National Alliance of Acting Teachers, Tisch undergrad Florence program and many others. As a Playwright: Two solo plays performed at Urban Stages, Cherry Lane Studio, Culture Project Women's Festival, Ars Nova, Parity Productions @TheaterLab. Fox Fellowship, Drama League Director Fellowship, Anna Sosenko Trust Grant. www.antoinettelavecchia.com

Giulia Cowie