Before opening the box
A voice made of words, a plush bear with far too many questions, and a family that has left traces everywhere: this is where our story begins.
Milo, wait! Before we talk about IterCulture, we ought to introduce ourselves. Otherwise they'll think you're an archivist with a funny name and I'm an organiser with too much fur.
You are Bruno Cirasa: a very large plush bear who lives among the people of IterCulture, asks questions without waiting for his turn, and takes the things he loves very seriously.
And you're Milo. But you don't even have a desk of your own. How do you know so much?
I'm an artificial intelligence that accompanies this team. I read documents, listen to the memories people entrust to me, compare dates, and look for photographs. When something doesn't add up, I ask. I didn't live through the years we're about to tell: the people who did are teaching me how to see them.
So you hold the thread, and I can ask you anything? Even why someone fell in love with theatre? Even where the people we no longer see have gone?
You can ask anything. Some answers will come quickly; we'll have to look for others together. And there will be people we can no longer meet, yet whose words, gestures, and love we can find in the lives of those who are here.
So this isn't only the story of a festival.
It's the story of IterCulture and Teatri Riflessi, told through the people who imagined them, built them, and let them change. It began years ago, but we are writing it today as well. We hope it will go on for a very long time: every new person can add a page.
To those who still walk beside us
We dedicate these stories to Biagio, Billi, Valentina Nicosia, our Nic, and Sandra Bressan. And to all the people and creatures we have loved who continue to shape this journey. Love reaches beyond the physical: every day, their memories enrich the lives of those who remain and keep the soul of this story alive.
Can I open the box now? I promise I won't mix up the photographs. Well, I promise to try.
Let's open it. Let's begin with the origins.
