Maschere Duemondi
Theatrical activity has been a prominent feature of Italian-Canadian cultural life in Toronto for over 20 years. From 1986 to 1999, plays have been directed jointly by Professors Guido Pugliese and Salvatore Bancheri, and from 2000 onward by the two professors alternatively. Since 2010, Teresa Lobalsamo has directed the production together with Jeannine Debattista.
The award winning course, at first undertaken on an extracurricular basis, enjoyed great success from the start. Its popularity prompted the professors to consider the theatrical activity from a didactic perspective. They arrived to the conclusion that the combination of comedy-performance was an effective tool for teaching language, a dramatic text, or culture.
In 1992, those involved in the theatre group took on the name of Maschere Duemondi, that is Two-World Players, a name indicative of the dualities that were being joined: Canadian and Italian, University and community, entertainment and learning.
There are three dimensions to the theatre courses: literary, linguistic, and performative. As products of the imagination, the plays are analyzed as literary artifacts, operating according to the premise that a play is fully actualized only when performed. Since they communicate their message almost exclusively through dialogue, the plays are in turn used as vehicles for generating communication among the students in a like manner. Over twenty-four years, more than twenty-seven plays have been performed. The repertoire have included comedies that are set in Canada and deal with everyday issues facing immigrants – recent or settled – in their new home, as well as works from Goldoni, Scarpetta, Pirandello and both De Flilippo brothers.
Happy 25th Anniversary to Maschere Duemondi
This year’s play marks the official 25th anniversary of Maschere Duemondi performances at the University of Toronto Mississauga. The Italian culture has been brought to the stage with much support from students and professors and this milestone is a testament to the success of the performances at UTM. The past 24 years, and all those to come, will continue to bridge the gap between the University and the community who has faithfully attended performances since Maschere Duemondi’s inception. This year we celebrate with much pride the 25th anniversary of the joining of the Italian and Canadian communities.