| Pazzanni 2006 | | Print | |
 Benvenuti! The first official recorded Venetian Carnevale was in 1268, and through the centuries locals and visitors by the thousands would don masks in celebration of the festival. In the late 1600s and early 1700s, due to an increasing concern for the city’s moral character, the wearing of masks during any religious festival was banned; it was only in the 1970s that the ancient tradition was resurrected with master mask-makers—also known as mascareri—restocking shops with their beautiful wares. Our tale explores the ways that masks freed the Renaissance-era Venetians to do as they wished, protected by the anonymity of their masks. Young Zola, a lovely and lonely street urchin adrift in the bustle of Italy’s most famous festival, is befriended by a maskmaker. As she dons his most stunning creation, she is transformed and finds she can mingle with the rich and aristocratic, flirting and dancing with those who previously ignored her. A full array of characters—gondolieri, shop girls, pizza wenches, noblemen and thieves, daring aerialists and dazzling acrobats—weave a tangled tale of attraction and distraction, with stunning performances from Circus Juventas’s advanced students. As the decadent Carnevale revelries reach full steam, an enthralling love story unfolds, accompanied by stunning acrobatic and aerial performances, wry commedia and flirtatious asides, with the ultimate revelation that masks can expose as much as they conceal.
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Performances Past Shows Pazzanni 2006
Performances Past Shows Pazzanni 2006