Leonardo Lidi - Spettri

Ghosts?

I tried to simply tell myself this was my favourite text, but that wasn’t enough for me, and it probably wasn’t exactly true either. So why Ghosts? Because it is a point of departure, there’s no use pretending superstitiously that this is not the case, and because it touches on themes that interest me, such as family, the absence of a main character and absence as the main character. Because it gives me the possibility to pit past against present on the stage with an eye to the uncertainty of tomorrow. Because it’s fun. I like to read it and I laugh at seeing myself so amused at reading it. Because I have four actors and a team of enviable collaborators who make it possible for me to dare. Because I deluded myself that, in this play, Ibsen was sincere in blatantly ridiculing himself, violently. Because it is a problem to represent it and we may well have forgotten that. Because I wanted to tackle a “classic” without worrying about it. Because I am too heavy to be able to tiptoe in. And so I broke the Lego castle and recomposed it as I pleased. I have not forgotten a single piece but I had to jam some of them in forcefully and now they are crooked. Let’s see if it holds up.