Inspired by Paolo Di Stefano’s non-fiction novel of the same name, winner of the 2011 Paolo Volponi National Literary Prize, La catastròfa recounts the Marcinelle tragedy of 8 August 1956, which remains the worst mining disaster in European history. The show takes the form of an intense musical oratorio in which the songs of Etta Scollo intertwine with the recited texts by Leonardo De Colle.

2026 marks the 70th anniversary of the Bois du Cazier tragedy in Belgium: a fire that broke out at a depth of 975 metres caused the deaths of 262 miners, 136 of whom were Italian. An event that continues to represent an open wound in Europe’s collective memory and which the European Parliament has proposed to commemorate by establishing 8 August as European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Workplace Accidents.
The Catastrophe restores a voice and memory to one of the most dramatic chapters of twentieth-century Europe, recounting not only the tragedy itself but also what preceded it: post-war poverty, emigration, long train journeys, living conditions in shacks and underground labour, racism, friendships, loves and hopes. A choral narrative that intertwines historical and human dimensions, transforming memory into a poetic, civic and profoundly contemporary experience. A message addressed above all to the younger generations, who often remain unaware of the painful past of labour, sacrifice and emigration to which their grandparents were subjected.