Italian filmmaker and director Renzo Carbonera visiting Auburn

Dylan Duke | 11/11/2024

Yellow telephone sitting on stage in front of a blue background during Jitney

Renowned Italian filmmaker Renzo Carbonera is discussing August Wilson's "Jitney" to Auburn University from 3-5 p.m on Nov. 12 at Pebble Hill.

August Wilson is an American playwright from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is responsible for many of America's great plays, including "Fences," "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" and "The Piano Lesson."

Working in collaboration with La Piccionaia, the August Wilson Legacy LLC, the University of Padua and the University of Pittsburgh, Renzo Carbonera staged the first Italian production of an August Wilson play. The project entailed in-depth events with artists and experts, film screenings, workshops, artistic residencies and open rehearsals.

"Jitney" is an American play set in Autumn 1977 and depicts a group of men working in a gypsy cab station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Wilson aims to confront controversial issues such as immigration, racism and cultural intersection and highlight their contemporary presence.

"Last year, Wilson's 'Jitney' was performed for the first time ever in a language different from the original. This happened in Italian, and it was also the first time ever that a play had been performed in Italy with a completely Black Italian cast of five actors," Associate Professor Anna Chiafele said. "Renzo Carbonera has been a crucial figure in promoting August Wilson’s 'Jitney' in Italy and to make it accessible to a wider Italian public, outside the academic circles."

At this event, Carbonera will show a few clips from "Jitney" (in Italian with English subtitles) and will discuss his project to bring his Italian version of "Jitney" to the United States. The goal of this event is to strengthen the enthusiasm shown by many, secure funds and locate the most appropriate venue for a future performance. This event could facilitate collaboration and planning among all those interested in bringing an Italian "Jitney" to Auburn's campus.

This event is free and open to the public. More information about this event can be found at the Department of World Languages, Literatures & Cultures in the College of Liberal Arts.

Tags: World Languages Literatures and Cultures Center for the Arts and Humanities

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