On this episode of La Befanaâs Table, I welcome Chiara Durazzini â Florentine native, actor, director, educator, founder of Bostonâs Pazzi Lazzi Troupe, and the beloved (and slightly mischievous) Befana di Boston.
In celebration of Commedia dellâArte Day (February 25th), Chiara brings us into the vibrant, irreverent, deeply human world of Commedia â a 16th-century Italian theatrical form that gave us archetypes still alive in todayâs sitcoms, satire, and street performance.
Together, we explore:
* Why February 25, 1545 marks the birth of professional Western theatre
* How Commedia introduced women performers to the stage
* Archetypes like the Capitano and the clever servants that still show up in modern comedy
* The political satire and improvisational spirit at the heart of Commedia
* Why exaggeration, masks, and âbeing too muchâ can be deeply healing
* The evolutionary joy of improvisation and play
* And of course⌠how La Befana found her way to Boston (and YouTube)
This conversation is about folklore, embodiment, creative courage, and the radical act of not taking ourselves too seriously â especially in absurd times.
đ About Chiara Durazzini
Chiara Durazzini (she/her), a native of Florence, Italy, moved to Boston in 2000.
She is the founder of:
* Pazzi Lazzi Troupe â a Boston-based Commedia dellâArte and Italian Renaissance music troupe for which she performs, teaches, and directs.
* Allâitaliana â Boston Italian Theatre Company â staging works by Italian playwrights and offering acting labs in Italian for both native and non-native speakers.
Chiara has written, acted in, and directed original works including:
* Isabella Unmasked â The Legacy of an Italian Renaissance Woman (2017)
* Pinocchio â A Commedia Adventure (2020)
She has also staged celebrated plays including:
* Oh These Ghosts by Eduardo De Filippo
* La Giara â The Oil Jar by Luigi Pirandello
Her performance credits include work with Company One Theatre and Apollinaire Theatre Company.
She trained with actors of Odin Teatret and studied extensively Commedia dellâArte with Master Claudia Contin Arlecchino in Pordenone, Italy.
These days, she also dances with Salmadanse (directed by choreographer Joanie Block), works as an Italian voice-over artist and teacher â and, in secret (or not so secret anymore), she is the renowned Befana di Boston.
She holds a Masterâs degree in Art, Music and Theatre from the University of Bologna.
đ Connect with Chiara
đ www.pazzilazzitroupe.comđ https://www.facebook.com/PazziLazziđ¸ https://www.instagram.com/pazzilazzi/
If you are in the Boston area, look out for upcoming workshops, Commedia labs, and performances
đŹ Table Talk
Where might exaggeration, play, or improvisation soften something in your life right now?
Upcoming Happenings
Festa Della Donna is a Variety Show kicking off Womenâs History Month celebrating Italian-American Female contributions to the Arts.
It continues its 7th Year Tradition featuring the most talented Donne in Music, Dance, Comedy & Beyond. Donât miss it!
Doors at 2:30pm. Show at 3
Approx Running Time: 75 MinutesGenre: Classic Music, Italian Heritage, Storytelling
Please Note: The venue has a 2-beverage minimum per person.
#BeBefana
Always be yourself. Unless you can be befana. Then #BeBefana
Epiphanies, donât arrive all at once. They arrive gently over time. They whisper to usâif we are paying attention.
The #BeBefana campaign was born from listening to that whisper.
Inspired by the ancient Italian legend of La Befana and my real life experience animating a puppet of this folkloric figure through the streets of New York City during the pandemic, the #BeBefana campaign is a quiet signal to ourselves and to others that another way of beingâand doingâis possible.
To #BeBefana is to believe that small, faithful acts matter. To sweep the floor, light the fire, offer welcome, leave a giftâand trust that in the darkest of days love persists, that our stories are never fully written, and that there is always room for a whimsical & wondrous plot twist.
10 percent of profits will be donated to the Young Center For Immigrant Childrenâs Rights.
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