SYRMA was presented in 2019 at the Alchemical Theater by Union Square (NYC) and was selected as part of the New York Theater Festival.
The Center for Italian Modern Art (CIMA) is presenting a reading of the dystopian drama SYRMA, written by award winning actress and writer Carolina de' Castiglioni (The Cumbersome Guest, Getting a Scholarship, FOUND).
In the world of Syrma, free will does not exist. In its place are three all-powerful women, The Moire, who determine the life course of each individual. They control these lives with their magical strings, which can be spun (or severed) at whim. But when a mysterious golden string is created, its human counterpart gains a unique ability to choose her own path. Syrma explores the burden of free will and the cost of following one's dreams.
A prior version of SYRMA (directed by Federica Borlenghi) was presented in 2019 at the Alchemical Theater by Union Square (NYC) and was selected as part of the New York Theater Festival. Since then, the play has been extensively developed into the final version the audience will be able to see on May 20th.
The cast includes Carolina in the lead role, Sofía Figueroa (Disney's Encanto Immersive Show, Little Island: A Part of the Main), Agathe Westad (Phèdre/Phaedra), Christina Goursky (I Was Never Crazy, Masquerade), Emerson Reed (An Enemy of the People, Pride and Prejudice), Seeni Chandran (A Few Good Men) and Bella Kouds (Our Song, Hamlet). The reading is directed by Lizzy Fruehling (Constellations, Mere Exposure).
The reading will be followed by a classical Italian aperitivo sponsored by Campari. The performance will take place on May 20th, 2023 at 2:30pm at CIMA, 421 Broome Street, 10013, New York. Tickets are available at italianmodernart.org and on EventBrite .
Nicola Lucchi, Executive Director for CIMA, said "we are excited to present the work of Carolina de' Castiglioni at CIMA. While our cultural center is primarily devoted to the visual arts, we always look forward to opportunities that create dialogue with the performing arts, especially theater and music."
Carolina de' Castiglioni describes SYRMA as "a story of hope. It is important to be reminded to listen to our instincts and fight the urge of adapting to societal expectations. Believing in your own path can be a real struggle, especially if it diverges from what everyone else has envisioned for you. Syrma brings this struggle to life."
Founded in 2013, CIMA is a public non-profit dedicated to presenting modern and contemporary Italian art to international audiences. Through critically acclaimed exhibitions-many of them bringing work to U.S. audiences for the first time-along with a wide variety of public programs and substantial support for new scholarship awarded through its international fellowship program, CIMA situates Italian modern art in an expansive historic and cultural context, illuminating its continuing relevance to contemporary culture and serving as an incubator of curatorial ideas for larger cultural institutions.
Carolina de' Castiglioni is an award winning Italian actress. An NYU Tisch Alumna, she received several Best Actress awards for her works. She has performed at The Cell Theater, The Cabaret Theater, Teatro Litta in Milan amongst others. Her work has been praised by BroadwayWorld, ELLE, Vanity Fair, Corriere della Sera, La Stampa, La Repubblica, amongst others. She lives between New York and Milan. www.carolinadecastiglioni.com
Lizzy Fruehling is a Brooklyn-based director and writer. She studied theater at NYU Tisch's Meisner Studio and film at Stonestreet Studios. Recent projects include Mere Exposure at The Brick Theater (writer, dir.), Constellations at Playwrights Downtown (dir.), and Earth and Sky at NYU Tisch (assistant dir.). www.lizzyfruehling.com
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