La Maschera di Bolzano

This project achieved an ambitious and innovative goal: initiating a participatory process open to the wider community, leading to the shared design and production of ‘Brattarello’, the mask of the city of Bolzano.

From 2021 onwards, Cooperativa 19 curated a series of activities and events that invited the public to reflect on the theme of masks and masking practices. This collective process led to the co-design of Bolzano’s first city mask, named Brattarello, which was presented during the Bolzano Carnival in 2023.

This shared creative process allowed forms of expression, meanings and social dynamics within the community to emerge. With the support of scholars, researchers, anthropologists, theatre practitioners and experts in masking practices, we worked together with participants to explore the meanings and social structures of Bolzano’s community. These reflections became valuable guidelines that helped us understand local traditions, as well as the stories, legends and archetypal figures that inspire them.
The guiding question was the following: beyond individual representations, does a “mask of society” exist, understood as the sum of personal and collective experiences? And if so, what is Bolzano’s mask? What would it look like?

Numerous tools were employed throughout the project, including:

￭ the design and administration of more than 400 questionnaires for adults and children, whose results guided the creation of the Brattarello mask;

￭ the production and touring of the theatre performance Northell (10 performances), directed by Michele Modesto Casarin and written by Marco Gnaccolini, performed by Salvatore Cutrì, Thomas Rizzoli, Emilia Piz, Rossana Mantese and Matteo Campagnol, with costumes by Elena Beccaro, masks by Compagnia BRAT, and stage management by Luca Da Tos;

￭ ten workshops for adults and children, and the conference The Invention of the Mask, with Giorgio Bongiovanni, Paola Piizzi, Sarah Sartori and Walter Valeri, curated by the International Mask Museum Amleto and Donato Sartori.

2023
First edition of Maskerada, a week-long programme of events for Carnival 2023, organised in collaboration with Teatro Stabile di Bolzano, Arci Ragazzi, Associazione La Strada, UPAD and VKE. The programme included the public presentation of Brattarello at the Teatro Studio (Teatro Stabile di Bolzano), performed by Salvatore Cutrì.

2024
Second edition of Il Carnevale di Bolzano: a programme of free events designed to celebrate Carnival in a new and original way in the city, promoted by the Municipality of Bolzano and curated by Teatro Stabile di Bolzano in collaboration with Bottega Buffa CircoVacanti and Cooperativa 19 www.lamascheradibolzano.com.

2025
The third edition of Il Carnevale di Bolzano expanded to include workshops across the city and a double Parata!Mask event. The project was curated by Teatro Stabile di Bolzano and the Municipality of Bolzano, in collaboration with Stivalaccio Teatro and Caraval Spettacoli, with the support of Cooperativa 19 www.lamascheradibolzano.com.

Info

2021 – 2024

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Partners and supporters
Teatro Cristallo
Teatro Cristallo Young
Assessorato alle Politiche Sociali, al Tempo Libero e allo Sport del Comune di Bolzano
Ufficio Politiche Giovanili della Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano
Museo Internazionale della Maschera Amleto e Donato Sartori
Centro Maschere e Strutture Gestuali
Compagnia Teatrale Pantakin
Compagnia Teatrale BRAT
Teatro Stabile di Bolzano