La Luna nel Letto

THE COMPANY

La luna nel letto Association – Social Enterprise ETS was founded in 1995 in Ruvo di Puglia (BA), under the name Tra il dire e il fare, as a cultural association led by director, set designer and lighting designer Michelangelo Campanale. In 2002, it began its professionalisation as a theatre company, and since 2015 it has been recognised by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities (MiBACT) as a “Production Company – Theatre of Innovation, Experimentation, Children and Young People.”

Its main activities include:

• training in the disciplines of the performing arts;
• artistic residencies for Italian and international artists and companies “without a home”;
• production and distribution of theatre for young audiences and prose productions, as well as the organisation of national and international tours;
• programming of prose, theatre for young audiences and dance performances.

From the very beginning, and going against the general trend among young people in southern Italy, the founders chose to work in their home territory — which at the time had no theatre — and to devote their activities to the promotion, production and dissemination of culture. They conceived culture as a “privileged space” for research and experimentation through play, theatre, music, dance and visual arts, while creating ongoing connections and active networks between artists, between artists and young enthusiasts, and between artists and local communities. Over the years, this approach has given rise to significant training, production and programming projects both in Italy and abroad.

In 2008, as part of an urban regeneration project, a disused space on the outskirts of the city was transformed into a venue for performing arts activities, and the company became part of the regional “Teatri Abitati” project, giving birth to the Theatre Residency of Ruvo di Puglia.

Thanks to its continuous engagement with the local community, the thoughtful artistic direction of director Michelangelo Campanale, and the professionalism of its artistic, administrative and organisational teams, the company took a further step forward in 2021. In collaboration with the Puglia Region and the Municipality of Ruvo di Puglia, the same venue was transformed into the Nuovo Teatro Comunale, which is now managed exclusively by the company itself.

In a short time, the theatre has become a point of reference for Italian and international artists. The disadvantage of being located in a peripheral area — Ruvo di Puglia is in a provincial area in southern Italy — has evolved into the advantage of “being unique”, allowing the company to contribute its own distinctive qualities to research and cultural innovation in Italy.

The history of La luna nel letto, thanks to the far-sighted artistic direction of Michelangelo Campanale, is marked by a series of successful practices that create a virtuous cycle between the training of young artists, collaborations on theatre productions and co-productions, touring — recognised nationally and internationally through major awards, tours and an average of around 100 performances every year in important theatres, networks, festivals and programmes for young audiences and prose — and artistic programming.

ARTISTIC DIRECTION

Michelangelo Campanale is a director, set designer and lighting designer. He founded the cultural association La luna nel letto (formerly Tra il dire e il fare) in 1992 and premiered his first production for young audiences in 2002. Since then, he has led a group of artists, technicians and administrative professionals who, over the years, have brought the company into the Italian theatre system.

Campanale’s professional identity has been built over time. His collaborations with major theatre and dance companies in Italy have shaped his multifaceted career and the principles underpinning his artistic practice.

Although Campanale has created major works with La luna nel letto, he has never stopped collaborating with other organisations and artists from the worlds of theatre, dance and music. He firmly believes that “research is the result of shared work” and that a network of collaborations can only strengthen the Italian performing arts system.

In recent years alone, as a director, set designer and lighting designer, he has brought the following projects to the Italian stage:

• Romeo e Giulietta (Romeo si Julieta), a co-production project connecting the company with ERT – Emilia Romagna Teatro Fondazione and the Teatro Excelsior in Bucharest. The Italian premiere took place in Cesena on 9 February 2023;
• Luz de luna, a project adapting contemporary circus to the theatre, created with El Grito, pioneers of contemporary circus in Italy. The production premiered at the Auditorium della Musica in Rome on 4 January 2024;
• Since 2023, Campanale has been working regularly with the international group Our Legacy Creation (USA) as artistic consultant on theatre and immersive art projects and the organisation of large-scale events. On 10 September 2023, the collaboration premiered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on the occasion of the opening of the 45th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

PRODUCTIONS, AWARDS IN ITALY AND INTERNATIONAL TOURS SINCE 2010

• 2010 – Eolo Award for Senza Piume, awarded Best Italian Production for Young Audiences.

• Ernest Hemingway – Il vecchio e il mare, directed by Michelangelo Campanale, was presented in 2010 at the FIT Festival – Festival of Theatre and Contemporary Performance in Lugano, Switzerland.

• 2011 – Eolo Award for Ernest Hemingway – Il vecchio e il mare, awarded Best Italian Production for Young Audiences.

• 2014 – The company obtained the rights from the De Filippo family to stage L’abito nuovo by Eduardo De Filippo and Luigi Pirandello, directed by Michelangelo Campanale.

• 2016 – Cinema Paradiso was presented in March at FITB – Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro de Bogotá, Colombia.

• 2018 – Cappuccetto Rosso was presented in October at the FIT Festival in Switzerland.

• 2019 – Eolo Award for Cappuccetto Rosso, directed by Michelangelo Campanale, awarded Best Italian Production for Young Audiences.

• 2021 – Nuvola, directed and choreographed by Julie Anne Stanzak, a long-standing dancer with Pina Bausch’s company, premiered at Festival Contemporaneo Futuro.

• 2021 – Jack e il fagiolo magico, directed by Michelangelo Campanale, was presented at the FIT Festival in Switzerland in October.

• 2022 – The company entered into an international co-production agreement with Teatro Excelsior in Bucharest and ERT – Emilia Romagna Teatro Fondazione for the production of Romeo e Giulietta, directed by Michelangelo Campanale. The international preview took place at Teatro Excelsior in Bucharest in December 2022, followed by the Italian premiere at Teatro Bonci in Cesena in February 2023.

• 2023 – Cappuccetto Rosso was presented in April at the Patchwork Festival in Győr, Hungary.

• 2024 – Cappuccetto Rosso was presented in July at Ricca Ricca Festa in Okinawa, one of the most important festivals for young audiences in Asia and Japan.

• 2024 – Festebà Award for Jack, il ragazzino che sorvolò l’oceano, directed by Michelangelo Campanale.