19:00, Fri 13th March 2026 at Palmerston Auditorium, St. John's College, Cambridge
16:00, Sat 14th March 2026 at Palmerston Auditorium, St. John's College, Cambridge
19:00, Sat 14th March 2026 at Palmerston Auditorium, St. John's College, Cambridge
14:00, Sun 15th March 2026 at Palmerston Auditorium, St. John's College, Cambridge
Lent Week 7 to Week 8
Dear friends of the Cambridge University Italian Society,
The Cambridge University Italian Society and Ars in Fieri - International Theatre Company present
Tessitrici di Fiabe - Weavers of Fairy Tales
A theatre play freely based on Italian fairy tales adapted for the stage by Ludovico Nolfi and Elena Sottilotta, directed by Ludovico Nolfi.
SYNOPSIS
Once upon a time, in the oral and literary realm of fairy tales, stories travelled from voice to voice and from hearth to page, carrying the power to awaken fear and desire. Tessitrici di fiabe draws on the great Italian fairy-tale tradition that later spread across Europe.
The performance is inspired by Lo cunto de li cunti (The Tale of Tales), the baroque masterpiece of Neapolitan fairy tales by Giambattista Basile (1575–1632), and by the great nineteenth-century collectors of Sicilian folklore, Laura Gonzenbach (1842–1878) and Giuseppe Pitrè (1841–1916), whose death marks its 110th anniversary this year. Many of the tales Pitrè recorded were told to him by Agatuzza Messia, a gifted Sicilian storyteller whose voice still resonates through these narratives.
At the heart of the play stand Italian women who passed down fairy tales by word of mouth around the fireplace and within the domestic spaces of everyday life. Their stories were filled with hopes and struggles, with abductions and ordeals. Through them, they confronted the shadows of oppression and violence. Women’s courage lies at the centre of the staging, casting light on their imaginative narratives as a path towards justice and a way of reclaiming an alternative destiny.
ABOUT THE SHOW
Running time
The performance lasts approximately 1 hour with no interval.
Language
Played in Italian with English surtitles. Captions and translations in English will be displayed on a screen above the stage.
Tickets
Online ticket sale ends 1 hour before each show. Tickets are also available at the door 30 minutes before each show.
Please present your booking confirmation at the box office together with valid ID for concessions (i.e., Cambridge University students, CUIS members and those under 16). To guarantee a seat, children under 9 must hold a (free) reserved ticket.
📍Venue:
Palmerston Auditorium, St. John’s College, Cambridge
📅 Performance dates:
Friday, March 13th – 7:00 PM
Saturday, March 14th – 4:00 PM & 7:00 PM
Sunday, March 15th – 2:00 PM
🎟 Tickets available at:
https://buytickets.at/cambridgeuniversityitaliansociety/2050019
We hope to see you there!
Sponsors
We extend our gratitude to all the businesses whose support made the organization of this event possible:
Giovanni's, caffè and pizzeria
Salento
La Pizzica
A special acknowledgement to Mimmo Manes Graphics Design Studio for the poster and flyer design, and to Pia Bongiovanni for the script translation.
Donations
This year, Tessitrici di Fiabe will support Differenza Donna, an Italian association committed to protecting women’s rights and fighting gender-based violence.
Part of the show’s income will be donated to help Differenza Donna fight violence against women and girls in Italy and beyond, and to safeguard their rights and dignity.
Please, consider adding a donation at checkout while booking a ticket for the show. The suggested amount can be removed or modified. We sincerely thank all our donors.