Welcome to the 8th edition of the Kids Euro Festival! It’s like taking a trip to Europe — but you don’t need a passport! Kids Euro Festival is a two-week long festival of European arts and culture presenting more than 150 free activities to D.C. metro area children and their families. There are performances, concerts, workshops, movies, storytelling, and more… and it’s all brought to you by the 28 European Union Member States!
For a complete schedule of program: CLICK HERE
This year Italy presents a performance and a workshop by Pazzi Lazzi.
ARIA DI COMMEDIA – October 25 at 6PM
The Kennedy Center Millenium Stage
“Time Travel Back to Renaissance Italy!”
Close your eyes, and imagine you’re in an old Italian town square (piazza)… through the magic of Pazzi Lazzi’s Aria di Commedia, you’ll time travel all the way back to the year 1593 — an age known as The Renaissance — to be entertained by a zany troupe of Commedia dell’Arte actors and musicians! In Italian, “Commedia dell’Arte” means “comedy of professional artists”, and it has had a lasting influence on opera, musical theatre, sit-coms, and improv comedy. You’ll probably already recognize some of the funny characters: the wily servant (Arlecchino); his pompous boss (Dottor Balanzone); the vain lady (Flaminia); the witty trickster (Pulcinella); and the clever maid (Colombina). Together, their madcap adventures — including multiple misunderstandings, mistaken identities, and romantic rivalries — have kept audiences laughing worldwide for hundreds of years!
Musical Theater
Age: 4+
Duration: 55 mins.
Chiara Durazzini, Emanuele Capoano, Liz Adams, John Tyson
LOCATION
The John F. Kennedy for the Performing Arts
2700 F. Street NW
Washington, DC 20566
MASKS IN MOTION (A Commedia dell’Arte Workshop) – October 26 at 11AM
Embassy of Italy – Auditorium
“Laugh and Learn — Commedia dell’Arte!”
In Commedia dell’Arte, a “mask” has two meanings: it can be a mask that an actor wears, and it can also be a role that he or she plays. Put them together, and you’ve got Masks in Motion! In this lively interactive workshop, you’ll learn the basic history of one of Italy’s most famous forms of entertainment, Commedia dell’Arte. First, you’ll watch a classic and funny scene as the forever-hungry servant Arlecchino tries to catch a fly and eat it. You’ll then learn how to act and move like several famous Commedia dell’Arte characters — Arlecchino; Pantalone; Dottor Balanzone; Capitano; Colombina — and you’ll see which masks they wear. You’ll be introduced to the musical instruments that accompany the actors, and even learn how to dance the tarantella!
Workshop
Age: 4+
Duration: 60 mins.
Chiara Durazzini, John Tyson
NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC – SCHOOL PERFORMANCE
LOCATION
Embassy of Italy – Auditorium
3000 Whitehaven St NW
Washington, DC 20008