Fernando Scarpa - the Italian director talks about the American experience

Last October 6th The Institute of Italian Culture was packed for “The Italian Journey”, one of J. W. Goethe’s most important works, turned into a play by Fernando J. Scarpa. The Italian director, who has proven extraordinary capability in the past, is now facing a new time of his work by merging his distinctive experience with the American contemporary audience. And last Thursday - as we saw - it worked...

We asked him about his career in Europe, his success in the United States and his evolution as a director. Fernando, the show at the IIC was a success, we saw people sincerely excited about the show...

I did my best to make something unique and true. The way I’ve worked on this new show is different from the past. Here in the US I’ve learned a lot on how to deal with actors: I’ve learned to invest on their personality, to leave them free to express themselves. I don’t look for actors and force them to adapt to a character. I choose the actor because he’s similar to the character he is going to interpret. He needs to be comfortable with his role and needs. For this reason I often leave them free to add something personal to the show. This makes both, them and the audience, happy.

The cast was great...all young international actors.

Absolutely international! We had two guest actors from the Actors’ Gang directed by John Kellam, the only theatre in L.A. with a long tradition and a strong attention to body movement in theatre. I saw them performing in a Moliere’s play and I decided I wanted them as the V enetian characters Arlecchino and Pantalone. Their names are Chris Schulz and Brian Finney.

Nikolaus Barton, the one you met in Venice, is Austrian-German. I saw him in a master class. He was here in the US looking for a new audience, right like Goethe. That’s why he immediately understood the feelings and the spirit of “Italian Journey”.

Riccardo Tursi, the priest you saw in Rome, is a proof I’m learning a lot on how to deal with actors and theatre in general. He knew about the show and called me, but I already had all my actors. Once, during the rehearal, he came in and asked to stay and watch the show. There I saw his incredible passion for theatre and I decided to write a part for him.

I don’t need to introduce Francesca Fanti as she is well known here in the United States. Together we created the character of Sofia, who tells a universal story of never-happened-love with a pure Italian spirit.
Y oung Piero Sarti was another unpredicted character in the play. I saw him playing and I thoughts we could have had a real child playing a part instead of only imagining his presence. Same thing with Alexandre Chen and Tony Wright: I discovered them at UCLA. A natural evolution of the work.

And then Forrest Taylor, who I consider a miracle... I wanted to tell about the climbing to the Vesuvius, but I needed someone able to perform such a hard part. This kind of adventure isn’t typical of Europeans, it’s much more similar to the American culture. Americans know that in order to reach success you have to go through hell. I saw Forrest acting in a short movie and I thought: “This is Serafino”. The audience loved him, he has a magnetic look. Being an American, he perfectly got the meaning of Goethe’s “adventure” on the Vesuvius. I absolutely look forward to working with him again.

“The Italian Journey” you presented was different from the original text but so respectful of the message Goethe wanted to communicate... Not everybody is able to reinterpret literary classics without changing their essence.

Compared to Europeans, Americans have a different way of considering entertainment. To them classics and masterpieces are not sacred and untouchable works, but something alive. The greatness of works like Italian Journey is in their being interpreters of universal values; this is what makes them always actual and alive. The writer is not necessarily a genius, most of times he does the most humble thing: he tells a story. If there’s a truth in that story, that’s probably the origin of a classic. In this case the truth Goethe was trying to tell was Italy, and he made it.

We love the way you turn the audience into an active part of the show. In some way they become actors too...

In Germany I’ve learned people are happier when they move, for the same reason they dance to music. Expressing your involvement in art makes it more enjoyable. The combination of “theatre and chair” isn’t natural and has been created recently. Don’t forget that from Greeks until the Shakespearean age people were free to stand and move during the show.

How do you see you career now?

I’m happy and serene. I want to tell stories, through theatre, TV , movies... The last years haven’t been easy though. The American show business is completely different from the European one, where financing to entertainment come from the Government. Here financing comes directly from people so you must put them and their needs above everything. This is actually wonderful, it helps me creating a direct relationship with the audience, but switching to this new way of making art is not easy. But when the show is good and people see you really have something to say, they reward you and that’s a wonderful feeling.

Alessandra Mastroianni
contributor