"Elsinore": Hamlet Who Speaks Four Languages Debuts at Mittelfest

A world premiere will be held on Thursday, July 24, at 7:00 PM, in the evocative setting of the Church of San Francesco in Cividale del Friuli: "Elsinore" will debut as part of Mittelfest 2025. The show, directed by Paolo Antonio Simioni and produced by the Centro Teatro dei Navigli in collaboration with ARLeF – Regional Agency for Friulian Languages and Mittelfest2025, will offer festival audiences a theatrical experience that transcends linguistic boundaries. The collaboration between the Agency and the multidisciplinary festival has once again proven to be a winning combination, capable of staging performances of high cultural value. " The long-standing synergy between ARLeF and Mittelfest will once again be expressed in a prestigious project, demonstrating that collaborations like this can generate innovation while remaining rooted in the local area. With “Elsinore” we are not just bringing a theatrical performance, but an experience capable of enhancing the Friulian language in a context of multicultural and multilingual dialogue, just as happens daily in Friuli, ” underlined Eros Cisilino, president of ARLeF.

The show will be performed in four languages—Friulian, Italian, Hungarian, and English—but will speak to everyone, thanks to the expressive power of EuAct, which aims to overcome language barriers through a method based on physical action and emotional authenticity. The character of Amlothi, played by Paolo Antonio Simioni, will speak Friulian in homage to the land that hosts the show, while the other characters will alternate in a multilingualism that reflects Friuli.

"Elsinore"—whose ancient name means "coast of the gods"—will not be a simple reinterpretation of Shakespeare's Hamlet, but a rewriting rooted in the original myth of Amlothi and the tale of the Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus. Simioni will lead the audience on a metaphysical and visionary journey, where the ghost of Hamlet's father (Amlothi) becomes a gateway to another dimension, the beyond, from which the characters' personal and inner journeys will take shape.

In this play, audiences will encounter a Hamlet played by a woman, Alessia Pellegrino, a choice that reflects the international group EuAct's desire to transcend all gender boundaries to restore truth and freedom to the characters. The international cast will include Miklós Béres (Claudius), Szofi Berki (Gertrude), Fanni Wrochna (Ophelia), Gianmaria Martini (Laertes), and Piergiorgio Tacchino (Horatio).

For ticket information, please contact the Mittelfest box office at 0432 734316 or by email at [email protected]