War and bread

Luigino, called Gino, belongs to an ordinary family in an unimportant village.
He fought in the Great War and, when he returns home, manages to realise his dream: to become a baker.
The fascists come to power, but Gino feels he has already spent enough for the fatherland and has no intention of fighting again; he refuses to join the fascist party and to enrol his children in the Opera Nazionale Balilla. He is threatened and beaten, but does not give in. He prefers to resist and is therefore transported to one concentration camp, then transferred to another one: Sobibor. He is spared by the Nazis because he is a baker and therefore useful.
Gino sees hundreds of people arrive and die every day, but decides that he will not end up like that. Together with other prisoners, he begins to steal weapons, petrol, money, and plot to raze Sobibor to the ground. On 14 October 1943, also thanks to him, this camp ceases to exist.

The show alternates between acting, song and video. The rhythm is brisk, the narration is linear and straightforward and -at times, despite the themes dealt with- also light and ironic, the protagonist's story runs alongside the historical events of the first decades of the last century. A show to remember, to learn, in the hope that - truly - knowing the history we have left behind will help us to be better in the future.

The lyrics, songs and videos in the show are original, but inspired by the writings of Primo Levi, Vasilij Grossman and Elisa Springer, as well as stories of unknown people who survived the concentration camps.

GUERRA E PANE | WAR AND BREAD
by and with Massimo Lazzeri

set design Andrea Coppi
lighting design Stefano Mazzanti
videos Diego Monfredini, Lucia Scipioni, Antonio De Cia
arrangements Chiarastella Calconi, Diego Moser, Massimo Lazzeri and Adele Pardi