Seen at Torino Fringe Festival on the 25^th of May 2023

5 Stars – heart-wrenching magic

Betún is a child who lives in the street. Like 100 million other children, in the streets he meets adult people. Unlike 100 million other children, his story is sublimated into poetry.

This stunning, moving play is the result of an investigation project in Bolivia. Cecilia Scrittore and Vene Vieitez, from the theatre company Teatro Strappato, collected stories of children who live in the streets. The sequenced narrative is a disturbing element, as if an absent-minded narrator had forgotten that their Dickensian character will eventually get a happy ending story. There is no rich relative, no bond, and no affection, only a desperate search for it.

It is hard to find words to describe the great work of the performers. Their technique is astonishing, in representative movements as well as in abstract ones, individually and in pairs, down to the smallest detail and muscle control. Cecilia Scrittore tirelessly jumps, shakes, moves her toes in excitement, giving life to the mask of Betún. Vene Vieitez interprets more than eight characters, embodying each one through their different moves and features, and making the transition between them perfectly smooth. Magic happened under my own eyes.

The direction (Vene Vieitez) creates beautiful images that carry deep and tragic meaning. The masks, which are made by the two actors, are unsettling, highly expressive, and versatile: few changes in accessories and lights alter their perception radically. The codes with which they are used, especially in the passage from one character to the next, are so simple and clear they produce enchantment. Coordination with the perfectly apt soundscape removes any need for words. Except for one, the most international one, a cry for hope and love: mama.

23^rd-28^th May; 20:00 pm

Running time: 60 minutes

Venue: Spazio Kairòs, Via Mottalciata, 7 – Torino

Tickets and Info: https://www.tofringe.it/eventi-23/betun/?occurrence=2023-05-24

Company Website: http://teatrostrappato.com/it/inizio/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teatro_strappato/?hl=fr

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/companyteatrostrappato/