MADE IN ITALY Comes to Theatre Calgary

Get ready to take in a great night of family, music, laughs, and food as Theatre Calgary and presenting partner Alberta Theatre Projects welcome Farren Timoteo to the Martha Cohen Theatre for his critically acclaimed funny and lively one-person show, Made in Italy.

A semi-autobiographical tale, Made in Italy is a comedic chronicle of the generational differences in an immigrant family. In this tour-de-force solo show, Francesco, a young Italian immigrant and his father, Salvatore, recall their experiences in 1970s Jasper, Alberta. Holding dear the traditions of Italy, Salvatore hopes to pass them on to his son, while Francesco finds new role models in Italian cultural icons Rocky Balboa and John Travolta.

In Made in Italy, Timoteo brings 26 memorable characters to life to tell a story of immigration, bullying, music, and the bond of family. These characters, stories, humour, and drama come from a personal connection to the multitude of people he portrays on stage.

“There was a room in my grandparent's house that was strictly off-limits: the dining room,” describes Timoteo. ”This was where we welcomed mass gatherings of family and community for extraordinary dinners and celebrations. It was a sacred space. I’d wait for those nights when my Grandmother would welcome us to the table to serve us a feast she'd spent all day preparing. It was a gift from the heart.”

Made in Italy was originally commissioned by Western Canada Theatre, and had its premiere in 2016 at WCT and the Manitoba Theatre Centre. Since then, it has been seen across Canada at the Citadel Theatre, Thousand Islands Playhouse, Arts Club Theatre, and Theatre Aquarius.

Directing Made in Italy is Daryl Cloran, who has been with the show since it's first production.

The rest of the Made in Italy creative team includes Daniel Curalli (Understudy), Laura Krewski (Choreographer), Cory Sincennes (Set Design), Cindy Wiebe (Costume Design), Celeste English (Lighting Design), Conor Moore (Original Lighting Design), Za Hughes (Assistant Lighting Design), Mishelle Cuttler (Sound Design), Christine Leroux (Stage Manager), and Raynah Bourne (Apprentice Stage Manager). For more information on the show and our artists, please visit theatrecalgary.com/madeinitaly.

Made in Italy runs October 17 - November 11 in the Martha Cohen Theatre at Arts Commons. The official opening night for the show is Friday, October 20. Performances begin at 7:30pm (Sun-Thurs), 8:00pm (Fri-Sat) and 2:00pm (weekend matinees). For Made in Italy ALL tickets are priced at $39 as part of Theatre Calgary's highly-successful Theatre For All $39 ticket initiative, and can be purchased at theatrecalgary.com. 

Founded in 1969, Theatre Calgary is Calgary’s first and largest professional theatrical company. Our mission is to stimulate, provoke, and delight through ambitious programming created to ignite local, national, and international engagement. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Stafford Arima and Executive Director Maya Choldin, we aim to stand amongst the best theatres globally as a leader in innovative, impactful, and diverse programming.

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