Photo by Sylvie Bosc Photographie
Wortham Center for the Performing Arts presents Compagnia Baccalà in Pss Pss. The show brings acrobatic feats together with inventive, delightful and often ridiculous visual storytelling to keep audiences laughing long after they leave the theatre. Compagnia Baccalà has toured Pss Pss around the world, to theatres and festivals in 50 countries on five continents, winning 15 international prizes, including the Cirque du Soleil Trophy at Paris’ prestigious Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain.
“Our show is a reflection of the human condition in different situations of life,” says Camilla Pessi, who, along with fellow modern-day clown Simone Fassari makes up Compagnia Baccalà. “The audience falls in love and can attach to the personnages (French for characters) because they can very much identify themselves within them.”
Inspired by Chaplin, Keaton and the stars of silent films, Pessi and Fassari perfected the characteristics and techniques of their clown characters, creating the repertoire in which they play out their hilarious and unique pas de deux through the universal language of gesture and look. Without a single word being spoken, these two characters sweep audiences up in an award-winning performance that displays tenderness, innocence and kindness in ways both serious and hilarious.
“The artists seem to take the best from both worlds, skillfully utilizing timeless techniques which engage the audience, and then updating them for modern day participants,” says Wortham Center managing director Rae Geoffrey. “This skill is the mark of an artist adapting any historic art form into an enduring and poignant message that transcends time.”
Wortham Center for the Performing Arts is located at 18 Biltmore Avenue in Asheville. The Pss Pss performance date is to be announced; the show is being rescheduled due to COVID-19 concerns. To learn more, visit WorthamArts.org or call 828.257.4530.
