Morning with Jacopo Fo who proposes some Demential Yoga exercises to the Mozambicans.

From arms that rise on their own thanks to the stimulation of involuntary muscles to catching thousand lire notes (it doesn’t work with 50 Euro cent coins!), to arms that can’t seem to bend on their own.

Jacopo amazes everyone with the pushing exercise: he becomes a tree that is well-rooted in the ground, he does a few tricks, and the result is that no-one can push him backwards.

Those who took the Demential Yoga course at Alcatraz know what I mean…
From exercises to theory, Jacopo begins explaining that our brain is in fact divided into two brains; one is modern, calculating, sensible, comparative, the other is ancient, ape-like, instinctive, spontaneous.

Actors must act using the ape’s brain, only in this way will their performance be good enough.
We, human beings with a modern brain, don’t know how to act, but our primordial side does.

Have you ever escaped a dangerous situation and not remember what you did? You were acting with your ancient brain, which reacted instinctively.

It’s the same feeling you get when you write spontaneously. Rereading what you have written makes your rational brain work, but you used your non-rational brain to write the original piece. And it’s that brain which brings out your genius…

* * *

Mario Pirovano returns in the afternoon, and we go back to “The Hunger of Zanni”. The group has had the chance to read the text, study it, prepare a small piece. In fact, today’s interpretations are not at all similar to the initial ones.
Someone even added their own elements, personal ideas.

Mario laughs, claps after each performance, embraces the actors one by one and then says: “Rehearse for a month, 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon, and you will become extraordinary!”

One month, 6 hours a day, on the same script, trying it, trying it again, and again, and again…whoever said that acting isn’t real work?

Counting both the morning and the afternoon, the group does from 6 to 8 hours of training, with talks on theory and also practice sessions.

Even this afternoon’s “lesson” finishes with one of Mario’s personal stories. The group continues asking for personal experiences, they are curious about life and the more details Mario adds, the more enthusiastic they become.

* * *

During these first few evenings, the Mozambicans have been going to bed immediately after dinner. This evening, though, we find ourselves once again sitting in a circle, joking and laughing at each other.
Mario hasn’t learned the group’s names yet: Arlete has become Ariete, Safina Salina, Agostinho Demetrio and this makes them (but also us) laugh a lot.

What’s on the menu today?

Today’s typical Italian specialities are Aubergine Parmigiana and Panzanella.

We also propose rice again and so, unbelievably, the Aubergine Parmigiana ends up on top of the rice.