By surprise, Mario Pirovano appears during the morning lesson. It’s already clear by how the Mozambicans approach him that they have become more determined. From now on, no more playing around!

In fact, Jacopo begins by pulling out a series of magic tricks from a bag: the rope that stays rigid, an album that shows coloured drawings when it is leafed through the first time, black and white drawings the second time and totally blank pages, without any images, the third time. Finally, the classic and inevitable magic box with its contents that disappear and reappear.

What a nice way to start the day, laughing all together in awe.

Then, all seated, we talk about the theatre. By uniting some of the traditional Mozambican stories told by the group over these past days, we can already elaborate the first impression of a performance: a love story between a husband, a wife, his lover, her lover, a false doctor and a true doctor who, at the end, understands and solves the situation.

This could be the apex of the performance, after which we could add the monologue of “The Hunger of Zanni” that the group has become fond of at this point, and a very short story of bravery built around Harlequin, a false donkey and a real lion.

I don’t want to ruin the suspense, so I won’t tell you about the plot immediately. Let’s just say that it’s about combined marriages and true love. We have programmed 5 songs, added a narrator who will make it easier to follow what is happening, 3 backdrops as the set design, costumes for the actors, props and lots of comical parts.

Something completely new for the village communities to the north of Mozambique, where the performance will be staged 5 times.

The actors will have to communicate with words but also with gestures and body movements. From now on we’ll rehearse, rehearse and rehearse again, each passage will be defined in its minimum details, the main characters have to absorb the story, make it their own, know its every aspect.

We try improvising first, starting from the first draft of the plot.

Adelino junior is the husband, Ana Bela the wife, Safina the friend, Adelino senior the false doctor, Agostinho the narrator and the real doctor.

They all show they have talent, each one has their own special characteristic but Agostinho is very good, he dominates the stage and knows how to make people laugh!

* * *

Afternoon: singing and voice training lessons with Eleonora Dalbosco from the I Minipolifonici Association.

A player piano starts, and off we go with tongue twisters, Italian and Mozambican nursery rhymes, traditional songs, all while controlling the voice and breath exhalation.

Actors who have to act in a performance lasting 1 and a half hours cannot allow themselves to run out of breath after 45 minutes.
Count to 10 in a loud voice at least 8 times, your “natural voice” will come out.

To learn how to “control” your voice and save your breath, do this:
(Singing)
1 – 2 – 1
1 – 2 – 3 – 2 – 1
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1

And so on, all in one breath. With practice, actors increase the numbers and control their voice better.