La casa in collina

Summer 1943. The war rages on.

Corrado, a professor from Turin, takes refuge in the hills above the Po River to escape the bombings. There he reunites with Cate, a woman he had loved in the past, and meets Dino, her son, whom he suspects is his own. What seemed like a refuge gradually becomes the place where Corrado is forced to confront the very things he is trying to distance himself from: the war, his own responsibilities, and his relationships with others.

For the first time, Cesare Pavese’s La casa in collina arrives on stage in a theatrical adaptation that preserves its ethical and existential core.

Giulia Bartolini’s dramaturgy reworks the novel’s structure and language to transform them into a script designed for the stage. The relationship between Corrado and Cate becomes the centerpiece of the production, alongside memories, confessions, and words addressed directly to the audience. The adaptation thus brings to the forefront the relationships between the characters and the way their choices change as events unfold. Directed by Mario Scandale, the play relies on the actors **Noemi **Apuzzo and Christian La Rosa to deliver a minimalist performance built on voice, gestures, and physicality. The Grand Salon of the Bagatti Valsecchi Museum, with its historical furnishings and the memories it holds, serves as a counterpoint to this minimalism.

The artistic residency organized as part of the 48th edition of the AstiTeatro Festival marked an important phase in the process of developing the production. The work focused on adapting the novel into a stage script, involving an in-depth exploration of the text and characters in settings linked to Pavese, as well as engaging with the audience through an initial staged reading.

The project will be presented to the public on Wednesday, September 23, at 11 a.m. at the Bagatti Valsecchi Museum, during a talk with director Mario Scandale and playwright Giulia Bartolini. The presentation of the adaptation process and the production of the play will alternate with a staged reading, offering an in-depth look at the journey from novel to stage.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)