as part of the Fabbrica Europa 2025 festival
For the ghost should never be allowed to forget that his only chance of survival is in the tales of those who have encountered him, whether actually or imaginatively – and perhaps preferably the latter. It is luckier for a ghost to be vividly imagined than dully “experienced”; and nobody knows better than a ghost how hard it is to put him or her into words shadowy yet transparent enough.
Edith Wharton, Ghosts
What is a ghost? This is the question that Edith Wharton asks in her late collection of short stories entitled, precisely, Ghosts.
A ghost is a shadow, an essence, a foreign figure that instills fear because it comes from an unknown world or from a distant time. The ghost connects us with the threshold, with death, but also with the deepest part of ourselves.
Starting from a sound score that plunges us into an elsewhere and from a work on the evanescent images in which the characters of five stories gradually take shape Fanny & Alexander explores the dark area where reality and mystery meet.
Between explosive apparitions, twists and very subtle disquiet, the universe of Edith Wharton, the author of the stories from which the show draws inspiration, questions us about the sense of ending, nostalgia, regret, remorse, fear and love for the invisible.
Fanny & Alexander is an artistic alliance founded in Ravenna in 1992 by Luigi de Angelis, director, set designer, and lighting designer, and Chiara Lagani, dramaturge, author, and actress). Fanny & Alexander creates productions that result from the fusion of various artistic languages, including theater, visual arts, music, cinema, and literature. The company produces theatrical shows, live performances, operas, and installations, involving an ever-evolving network of artists from diverse disciplines. Their interaction on and off the stage leads to a reflection on the relationships between tradition and new technologies.
Their most recent projects include Storia di un’amicizia, the theatrical adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s tetralogy, Se questo è Levi, Sylvie e Bruno, Manson and NINA. In 2019, Fanny & Alexander received the Ubu Special Award, while Andrea Argentieri received the Ubu Award for Best Actor under 35 for Se questo è Levi. In 2024, their Trilogia della Città di K was awarded the Ubu Prize for Best Show of the Year, Best Direction, Best Set Design, Best Lighting, and Best Sound Design.
by Fanny & Alexander
based on texts by Edith Wharton, translated by Chiara Lagani (Einaudi)
with Andrea Argentieri and Chiara Lagani
music, sound design, and sound direction: Luigi Ceccarelli
direction, set, and lighting design: Luigi Noah De Angelis
dramaturgy and costumes: Chiara Lagani
musical contributions: Gianni Trovalusci (flutes), Diego Conti (violin), Raffaele Marsicano (trombone), Paolo Ravaglia (clarinets)
organization and promotion: Marco Molduzzi
administration: Stefano Toma
production: E Production, Ravenna Festival
in collaboration with Fabbrica Europa, L’arboreto – Teatro Dimora di Mondaino, and Istituti Culturali – Arti Performative della Repubblica di San Marino
