freely inspired by the correspondence between Günther Anders and Claude Eatherly
directed by Claudia Sorace
dramaturgy and sound Riccardo Fazi
with Alessandro Berti, Gabriele Portoghese
dramaturgy collaboration Gabriele Portoghese
literary consultancy Paolo Giordano
original music Lorenzo Tomio
set design Paola Villani
technical direction and lighting design Maria Elena Fusacchia
costumes Fiamma Benvignati
thanks to the artist Elisabetta Benassi
sound engineer Giulio Ragno Favero
scenes and props Chiara Previtali
for INDEX Valentina Bertolino, Francesco Di Stefano, Silvia Parlani
an INDEX production
in co-production with TPE – Teatro Piemonte Europa in collaboration with Politecnico di Torino – Prometeo Tech Cultures; Emilia Romagna Teatro ERT / Teatro Nazionale
in collaboration with AMAT and Comune di Pesaro
with the support of ATCL / Spazio Rossellini, MAB Maison des Artistes Bard, Viola Produzioni / Spazio Diamante
company funded by MiC – Ministry of Culture
© Günther Anders 1961. For the Italian edition: © Mimesis Edizioni 2016
photo © Eleonora Mattozzi, Maria Giovanna Sodero / CIRCA

Muta Imago © Maria Giovanna Sodero : CIRCA

Atomica is a show that explores the theme of individual responsibility in the face of historical events of collective significance and the consequences that an extraordinary event can have on the life of a simple individual. It is the story of two people who question our role as human beings in the world and our deeper nature as complex creatures that cross time and generations, moving between creation and destruction, imaginative power and absolute evil.

Eighty years after that 6^th August 1945, Muta Imago revisits the extraordinary exchange of letters between Claude Eatherly and Günther Anders (now published in Italy by Mimesis, but previously edited by Renato Solmi for Einaudi in 1963 and reprised by Goffredo Fofi for Linea d'Ombra) to create a theatrical show that investigates the gap between technological power and moral responsibility, at the same time telling the story of a profound friendship between two men who ask questions that reverberate powerfully today: how do we confront events that are larger than ourselves, in the face of which we often feel small and insignificant? How can we return to being sensitive to what is too large or too distant to be imagined?

In Atomica, Claudia Sorace’s direction and Riccardo Fazi’s dramaturgy and sound make use of collaborations in Muta Imago’s previous shows. Set design is by Paola Villani (Ubu Award 2022), original music by Lorenzo Tomio (Ubu Award 2022; finalist, Ubu Awards 2023), while the lighting is by Maria Elena Fusacchia (finalist, Ubu Award 2023). Two of the finest actors of their generation, Gabriele Portoghese (Ubu Award 2021) and Alessandro Berti (finalist, Ubu Awards 2024) give body and voice to the two protagonists on stage.

Muta Imago is an artistic duo formed by Claudia Sorace, director, and Riccardo Fazi, dramaturg and sound artist. Their ongoing search for forms and stories that connect the sphere of the imagination with that of present day human, political and social reality, has led Muta Imago over the years to investigate different live art forms: theatre, performance, musical theatre, and radio, aiming to always seek the best way to explore the relationship between the human being, his time and his feeling. Experiencing each encounter with all the people who have been, are and will be involved in the creation of their works. For years, the duo has been carrying out research into the perception of time and the possibilities that theatre has to formulate new modes of storytelling that explore the characteristics of the relationship between time, memory and identity. Their latest works have been part of this research: Tre Sorelle (Three Sisters) (2023), Ashes (2022) and Sonora Desert (2021). In 2022 Muta Imago won the Ubu Award for Best Sound Project and Best Leading Actor (Marco Cavalcoli) for the show, Ashes; in 2021 the Radio India project, co-created by the company, won the Ubu Special Award and the Rete Critica Prize. In 2013 Muta Imago was a finalist at the Ubu Awards with the project, Art You Lost? Nel 2011 Claudia Sorace won the prize for Best Direction and Best Show with (a+b)3 at the XXIX Fadjr Festival in Tehran. In 2009 Muta Imago won the Ubu Special Award, the ANCT Critics’ Prize and the DE.MO./Movin’UP prize. In the same year, Claudia Sorace won the Cavalierato Giovanile (Young Knighthood Award) of the Province of Rome and the Valeria Moriconi International Prize for “Future of the Scene”. Since 2018 the duo has been funded by the Ministry of Culture as a theatrical production, research and innovation enterprise. From 2019 to 2022 Muta Imago was resident artist at the Teatro di Roma, as part of the Indian Ocean project. In December 2023 Muta Imago debuted the installation, Bar Luna, at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, created together with director, Alice Rohrwacher. Since 2021 they have been artistic director of INDEX (index-productions.com) together with Daria Deflorian.