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The project They Are Watching Us – A Handbook for the Innocent came about in a burst of inspiration, in just a few days, as the result of my latest reflections on the historical moment I am living through, on theatre, and on themes dear to me, such as the relationship between verbal and physical language, the relationship between perpetrator and victim, between word and gesture, theatre as a substitute ritual, theatre as an observing eye, from the Greek Thèatron or Thèa, the place of the beholder, the sight, the vantage point. These themes may seem unrelated, but in reality they are closely intertwined.

My reflection on language allows me to imagine that the eternal dispute between Logos and Mythos, between the liberating word that generates meaning and the symbolic narration of history, is of a patriarchal nature. The word, which came to free us from primitive, sacrificial ritual, brings with it not only its saving light but also its shadow: often the word (of the father, of God, of the law) does nothing more than replace the ritual, creating a new ritual, no less violent in nature than the sacrificial one. The word, which comes to lead us out of chaos and darkness, out of primordial anguish, which gives us rules and boundaries, which transforms our fear into constructive energy, conceals a deep desire for manipulation, for control over the human being. The word is two-faced: whilst on the one hand it limits and structures man, on the other it inevitably manipulates him. It complicates the relationship between the human being and the body, in that language identifies the being with his mind or his soul. Language is diabolical: whilst on the one hand it creates ‘meaning’ and allows us to exist and learn, on the other it demands a tremendous sacrifice of us—to forget that we have a body, to eliminate it through a series of sacrifices and lynchings. This process is evident in the scapegoat, who is usually a woman, a child, a non-conforming body, or simply a foreigner. The sacrifice of that natural, fragile body, still devoid of the double, of the double meaning of the word, is offered up so that the community may rediscover its own order, its own law. This stream of consciousness, which I have sought to give theatrical form, follows the story of this pure and natural body, constantly in mortal danger. Structured in ten chapters plus an epilogue, this delirium participates in the ‘passion’ of a ‘disappearance’. The disappearance of the body. It is the story of some children who go in search of their father’s word, for they are certain that without that word their world will be dominated solely by chaos and darkness. But what happens is that the father’s word often does not reach the child, and if it does, it is fatal, multiplying its effect infinitely. It is like an atomic bomb that continues to multiply its effects after detonation. The conflict between word and body is a deliberate one; the hope that human beings might free themselves from their bodies to become pure language (a masculine hope that is also being realised through artificial intelligence) is one of the many probable narratives we have heard, that our gaze has encountered.

This text is written in the form of a stream of consciousness, yet each chapter is nonetheless linked to a myth, a character, or a person who actually existed, whom I have encountered in one way or another in this study of the scapegoat.

The first chapter is linked to a voice, without an ‘I’, but also without a ‘self’, with the awareness of being ‘without’ and in search of a ‘thing’ about which it knows nothing. This voice will return at the end of the journey in an attempt to imagine that this ‘thing’ might be the ‘relationship between things’, and thus a thing without conflict, but also without meaning, merely relationship. This tendency of the cosmos to weave relationships, connections and disintegrations only acquires meaning through our gaze; in itself, it is purely a relationship between matter, space and time, and thus also with antimatter, with black holes, with anguish and fear. This opening voice reflects on his death, defined in some way by his father’s words; then the gaze (the violent gaze of the spectator and the camera) shifts to Isaac.

Far from being the biblical Isaac, this boy reveals to us the theme of the narrative: the capacity of the Logos to have concealed horror through the acceptable. The son’s body surrenders to the Father’s words, just as happens in Aulis to Iphigenia, his sister in fate. Children sacrificed out of love for the father, for the trap that his word is the only true one. Indifferent to the anthropological substitution of the innocent son’s body with that of the stag or the lamb.

Observing the cruel fate of Iphigenia, a young woman in 1870s Massachusetts (she could be the poet Emily Dickinson), sensing the falseness of her father’s words, takes refuge in those of a Master, hoping he might free her from the enigma that plagues her: is her imagination more real, or actual reality? Clearly, the Master does not answer, but he heightens the awareness that nothing we know is true in itself; if anything, it is merely probable that it is true. Philosophical and artistic language, like that of the Father’s Law, moves ambiguously through the world; knowledge always brings consequences. The first, the most evident, is the feeling of loneliness.

Art takes the place of ritual, but like all rituals it remains sacrificial in nature; it is at this point that a figure I have chosen to identify with Christ comes to expose art’s falsehood, to nail it to its own violence. Every attempt by art to look upon suffering merely turns the suffering subject into an image of suffering. From Hiroshima to Chernobyl, every child immortalised in a photograph becomes the reflection of Christ immortalised on the Cross. An eternal image of pain. It is Christ himself who cries out to the Father about the failure of this method; there is no passion or representation of pain that can ‘satisfy’ the thirst for knowledge. Every attempt to sate humanity is a failed attempt. Every victim sacrificed, every murder that gives rise to new civilisations and thus new languages that continue to feed on that torn body, is doomed to failure. This does not diminish, but rather reinforces, the feeling that man cannot act otherwise: he desires to know, he desires the word, he needs it, and therefore he is prepared to make any kind of sacrifice for it. As if there were no alternative. Yet the alternative must necessarily exist; indeed, it is likely to exist. This likelihood reveals itself in the world from time to time; it certainly reveals itself in the traces of a grandmother who, beyond any paternalistic language, cared for her grandchildren not out of love, but out of an innate urge to care for another, just as every animal does for its own young. In the world, this practice has been identified with love, but it is merely one of many identifications or simulations of that ‘thing’.

The text continues in this vein, in a ceaseless interplay of reflections and mirrorings, from Telemachus, the right son for the wrong father, to Alfredo Rampi, the innocent sacrificial victim of television language, or in the obsessions of a young Artaud who loses himself in the labyrinth of doubles, until he becomes lost, in a desperate attempt to ensure that at least one word reaches the shores of the sea, just as a sperm reaches the egg. To conclude this improbable tale of the innocent, once again a journey into art: a grotesque Infanta Margarita, trapped for eternity within the image of Velázquez’s painting, asks the spectator’s vampiric gaze to stop looking, to nullify the violent activity of the gaze, awaiting a helping hand, an escape—unlikely, yet possible in a different universe.

– Carmelo Rifici

A graduate in Literature and a diploma holder from the Scuola dello Stabile in Turin, he worked as an assistant director to Luca Ronconi on Progetto Domani, a theatrical event for the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics. He assisted Ronconi in directing Fahrenheit 451, Ulisse doppio ritorno, Turandot and The Merchant of Venice. As a director, he has helmed dozens of productions, including Il giro di vite, La tardi ravveduta and La Signorina Julie for the Litta Theatre in Milan (2003–06), and Lunga giornata verso la notte for the Teatro Filodrammatici in Milan (2006). The Napoli Teatro Festival commissioned him to direct Chie-Chan e io, based on the novel by Banana Yoshimoto (2008). For the Piccolo Teatro in Milan, he directed Jean-Luc Lagarce’s *I pretendenti*, Ludwig Tieck’s *Il gatto con gli stivali* (2009) and Ephraim Lessing’s *Nathan il saggio* (2011). In 2010, he directed Lars Norén’s *Dettagli* at the Piccolo and Euripides’ *Fedra* in Syracuse. He directed Buio by Sonia Antinori for Teatro Due Parma, Medea by Luigi Cherubini for the Ponchielli in Cremona, I puritani by Vincenzo Bellini for the Circuito Lirico Lombardo, Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare and Visita al padre by Roland Schimmelpfennig for the Piccolo in Milan. Since 2014, he has been artistic director of LuganoInScena, where he has directed Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull, Iphigenia, Liberated, Ariel Dorfman’s Purgatorio, the opera The Barber of Seville, Avevo un bel pallone rosso, and I Cenci with music and libretto by Giorgio Battistelli, which in 2020 featured on the programme of the Venice Music Biennale and the Festival Aperto in Reggio Emilia, Macbeth, le cose nascoste. In 2019, he directed Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Ravel’s L’heure espagnole at the Teatro Grande in Brescia. In 2020, he became artistic director of the LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura cultural centre in the city of Lugano. Since 2015, he has directed the Luca Ronconi Theatre School at the Piccolo in Milan. In 2005, he won the Critics’ Award for emerging director; in 2009, he won the Eti Olimpici del Teatro Award for director of the year, the Critics’ Award and the Golden Graal, and was nominated for the Ubu Awards as director of the year. In 2015, he won the Enriquez Prize for the LuganoInScena theatre season, and in 2017 he won it again for his direction of Ifigenia, liberata. In 2019, he won the I nr. Uno award presented by the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Switzerland (CCIS) for his work at the LAC. Together with Paola Tripoli, he is the creator of Lingua Madre – Capsule per il futuro.

Catherine Bertoni
Born in Orte to a Belgian mother and a Genoese father in 1994. She began her training in Rome, graduating from the Fonderia delle arti under the direction of Giampiero Ingrassia. She attended theatre courses at La Scaletta with Andrea Pangallo, Fabiana Iacozzilli and Francesco Zecca. She is currently a student at the Luca Ronconi School of the Piccolo Teatro in Milan, directed by Carmelo Rifici, where she works with Mauro Avogadro, Massimo Popolizio, Fabio Condemi and Antonio Latella. She plays Maša in Three Sisters, directed by Carmelo Rifici. She provides the voice for the audio reading of H. de Balzac’s Une passion dans le désert for the Piccolo Teatro in Milan.

Giulia Di Renzi
Born in Rome in 1997 to a Roman father and an Australian mother, she obtained her diploma in classical studies in Rome. She attended various theatre workshops and in 2017 was admitted to the Luca Ronconi School at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan, directed by Carmelo Rifici, where she furthered her studies with great masters of the theatre, including Mauro Avogadro, Carmelo Rifici, Antonio Latella, Fausto Paravidino and Tindaro Granata. She furthered her studies in movement and performance with Alessio Maria Romano, Marta Ciappina, Michele Abbondanza, Maria Consagra and Alessandro Sciarroni.

Sebastian Luque Herrera
Born in Milan in 1997 to an Italian mother and a Chilean father, he studied at the F. Besta High School of Humanities. He worked as an actor until 2017 at the Officina Theatre with Massimo De Vita. Immediately after finishing secondary school, he joined the Luca Ronconi School at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan, where he met Carmelo Rifici, Alessio Maria Romano, Antonio Latella, Massimo Popolizio and Fausto Paravidino.

Alberto Marcello
Born in 1996, he began his artistic career with director Lea Gramsdorff, working frequently at the Akròama Theatre of Research and Innovation. In 2017, he began his studies at the Luca Ronconi School of the Piccolo Teatro in Milan, where he met Carmelo Rifici, Alessio Maria Romano, Antonio Latella, Massimo Popolizio, Mario Perrotta and Paolo Rossi.

Francesco Maruccia
Born in 1994 in Salento, he grew up in the province of Rome. He developed an interest in theatre and, upon finishing secondary school, attended his first theatre courses in Rome and Ostia. His early professional experiences took place in the off-theatres of Rome and its province (Teatro lo Spazio, Teatro dell’Orologio, Teatro del Lido). In 2017, he was admitted to the Luca Ronconi School at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan, directed by Carmelo Rifici, under whose direction he performed in Three Sisters.

Alberto Pirazzini
Born in Romagna in 1997, with a passion for illusionism, he holds a diploma in Theory and Solfeggio. After attending the A. Galante Garrone Theatre School, he studied at the Luca Ronconi School of the Piccolo Teatro in Milan, directed by Carmelo Rifici. During his training, he also worked with Chiara Bersani, Fausto Paravidino, Paolo Rossi, Serena Sinigaglia, Mario Perrotta, André Casaca, Massimo Popolizio, Marta Ciappina, Lisa Ferlazzo Natoli, Antonio Latella and Alessio Maria Romano. She took part in Happiness by Alessandro Sciarroni, Specie di Spazi by Fabio Condemi, Tre Sorelle by Carmelo Rifici, Cavalleria Rusticana by Emma Dante and Pierino e il Lupo directed by Vittorio Sgarbi.

Roberta Ricciardi

Born in 1997, she began her artistic journey in 2017 at the Teatro a Vista acting school in Rome, directed by Francesca Rizzi and Riccardo Bocci, taking part in workshops led by Patrizia Hartman, Chiara Cimmino, Valerio Vittorio Garaffa and Federica Bern. Six months later, she began her studies at the Luca Ronconi School of the Piccolo Teatro in Milan; her teachers included Carmelo Rifici, Alessio Maria Romano, Antonio Latella, Massimo Popolizio, Mario Perrotta, Paolo Rossi, Fausto Paravidino, Andrea Chiodi, Tindaro Granata and Chiara Bersani.

Aurora Spreafico
Born in Lecco in 1997, she lives in Milan where she attends the Luca Ronconi School at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan, directed by Carmelo Rifici. She furthered her studies with leading figures in the theatre world, including Massimo Popolizio, Antonio Latella, Declan Donnelan, Paolo Rossi, Serena Sinigaglia and Fausto Paravidino. She trained in dance with the choreographers Alessio Maria Romano, Marta Ciappina, Cristina Rizzo, Michele Abbondanza, Simona Bertozzi and Maria Consagra. She has recently published Cavallucci, her first collection of poems.

Emilia Tiburzi
Born in Rome in 1996, after graduating from the Liceo Classico T. Tasso, she took part in various theatre workshops led by Enrico Zaccheo. In 2017, she began her studies at the Luca Ronconi School of the Piccolo Teatro in Milan, directed by Carmelo Rifici, where she had the opportunity to further her studies with great masters, including Mauro Avogadro, Giovanni Crippa, Carmelo Rifici, Antonio Latella, Fausto Paravidino, Paolo Rossi and Tindaro Granata. He furthered his study of movement and the performing arts with, amongst others, Alessio Maria Romano, Maria Consagra, Michele Abbondanza and Marta Ciappina. He took part in the latest production of La tragedia del vendicatore directed by Declan Donnelan.

Giacomo Toccaceli
Born in Milan in 1997, he first became involved in theatre in 2009, appearing as a co-lead in the Teatro del Buratto production Deserto Nero, directed by Renato Sarti. He subsequently attended the Quellidigrock theatre school until completing his A-levels in science, before being admitted in 2017 to the Luca Ronconi School at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan, directed by Carmelo Rifici. During these years, he has had the opportunity to further his theatrical studies under the guidance of masters such as Mauro Avogadro, Giovanni Crippa, Carmelo Rifici, Massimo Popolizio, Antonio Latella, Fausto Paravidino and Tindaro Granata, and to explore the world of dance and performing arts through Alessio Maria Romano, Maria Consagra, Marta Ciappina, Michele Abbondanza, Chiara Bersani and Alessandro Sciarroni.

Guido Buganza
Set designer, painter and engraver. After graduating in set design from the Brera Academy, he embarked on an international theatre career alongside his vocation as a painter and engraver. He has around eighty theatre productions to his name, spanning drama, opera, ballet and cinema, as well as exhibitions and installations. He has been a finalist for the UBU Prize on numerous occasions. His collaboration with Carmelo Rifici, spanning almost twenty years, has been fundamental; together they designed the sets for Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia at the LAC. He also collaborates with Monica Conti, Piero Maccarinelli, Andrée Ruth Shammah, Claudio Beccari, Peter Greenaway, Andrea Chiodi, Jacopo Gassmann and Massimo Navone. He oversaw the staging of Arti liberali in collaboration with RSI.

ideato, scritto e diretto da
Carmelo Rifici

traduzione in inglese
Catherine Bertoni
Alberto Marcello
Giulia Di Renzi

coordinamento e montaggio video
Olmo Cerri, REC

con gli allievi della Scuola di Teatro Luca Ronconi (in ordine alfabetico)
Catherine Bertoni
Giulia Di Renzi
Sebastian Luque Herrera
Alberto Marcello
Francesco Maruccia
Alberto Pirazzini
Roberta Ricciardi
Aurora Spreafico
Emilia Tiburzi
Giacomo Toccaceli
Rachele Gatti

e con la partecipazione di (in ordine alfabetico)
Beatrice Fico
Francesco Fico
Alessia Lenzo Massei
Elena Lenzo Massei
Blue Sofia
Gioia Sofia

scene
Guido Buganza

sound designer
Brian Burgan, LAC

disegno luci
Pierfranco Sofia, LAC

assistente alla regia
Ugo Fiore

direttore tecnico
Pierfranco Sofia, LAC

direttore di scena
Igor Samperi, LAC

macchinisti
Serafino Chiommino, LAC
Andrea Borzatta, LAC
Luigi Molteni, LAC

tecnici luci e video
Noray Yildiz, LAC
Giovanni Voegeli, LAC
Mattia Gandini, LAC

fonici
Brian Burgan, LAC
Lorenzo Sedili, LAC

apprendisti
Giulio Bellosi, LAC
Alberto Granata, LAC

sarta
Andrea Portioli

trucco
Bruna Calvaresi

costumi realizzati presso
Laboratorio di Sartoria del Piccolo Teatro di Milano – Teatro d’Europa,
un ringraziamento speciale a Roberta Mangano

scene realizzate da
Matteo Bagutti, LAC
Roberta Pagliari

delegati di produzione
Nicola Fiori, LAC
Vanessa Di Levrano, LAC

delegato di produzione video
Adriano Schrade, REC

immagini e correzione colore
Giacomo Jaeggli, REC

focus puller
Mariangela Marletta, REC

realizzazione video
Associazione REC

materiale tecnico
Cine5k
Associazione REC

si ringrazia il Museo cantonale di storia naturale per la gentile concessione di sette esemplari di animali vertebrati impagliati della propria collezione

produzione
LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura

Per il salotto cinematografico un rigraziamento per la collaborazione a Sara Conio Prontera di Modernariato al Mercato.