THEhe fight against gender violence cannot be confined to an anniversary. Every day can, and should, be November 25th. And it is on this profound belief that the CETECEuropean Theater and Prison Center, he has been carrying his voice for years in border places and in social marginalities. And it does so with the strength of art, with the delicacy of poetry and with the radicality of the theatrical gesture. Because violence against women is not a topic to be commemorated once a year: it is a daily woundwhich asks for presence, listening and transformation.
Violence against women: CETEC theater talks about wounds and rebirth
Founded and directed by Donatella Massimilla, CETEC is a unique reality in the Italian theater scene. For five years he has directed the Alda Merini House Museum in Milan, transforming it into a poetic crossroads where words and theater become tools to raise awareness on the issue of gender violence. Their initiatives move between schools, prisons, theatres, city squares and bridgeswith performances that combine civil strength and poetry.
«A red bench for Franca»
Among the most significant projects of recent years is “A red bench for Franca”, born in collaboration with the Fo-Rame Company and with the patronage of the Fo-Rame Foundation. In the center, the monologue “The Rape” by Franca Rameplayed with intensity by Gilberta Crispino. A text that has not lost a gram of its strengthcapable of shaking consciences even decades later. And which today is brought not only to theatres, but also to high schools, courtyards and public places. From Milan to Sicily, every red bench inaugurated becomes a tangible symbol of memory and commitment, a place that invites us to stop and reflect.
“Lo Rape” by Franca Rame returns to the scene with Gilberta Crispino, in a project that combines art, memory and activism
The next stages: we start in Milan, on November 21st
The calendar of initiatives is dense and symbolically powerful. We start from Milan on November 21stwith a double date. At 4.00 pm, on the Alda Merini BridgeCETEC will stage an urban flash mob with an evocative title: “Free butterflies will emerge from deep wounds”. A collective performance that intertwines theater and poetry, with verses by Merini herself, to restore visibility and dignity to those who have suffered violence.
At 8.00 pm, in the Alda Merini Space in via Magolfa 30will go on stage “The Rape”the English version of Franca Rame’s monologue, directed by Donatella Massimilla and translated by Maggie Rose. An opportunity to open dialogue to an international audience, in an increasingly multicultural city.
November 25th in Palermo
November 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Womenthe company will then move to Palermo. At 9.30, at the Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa, two new red benches will be inaugurated, a now widespread symbol of the fight against feminicide. The same day, “The Rape” will be performed in the women’s section of Pagliarelli prison. A gesture that gives voice and listening back to those who are often doubly invisible.
1, 2 and 3 December in Rome
Then, three mornings of entertainment and dialogue at the high schools of the Ostiense and Garbatella districts: a direct meeting with the new generations, where the theater becomes a powerful tool against silences and taboos.
Gilberta Crispino brings Franca Rame’s “Lo Rapo” back to the stage
One bench, a thousand stories
In a time when gender violence continues to be minimised, denied or spectacularisedthe red benches are not just street furniture: they are memorials. Each bench inaugurated by CETEC is accompanied by a performative moment, by a story, by a collective gesture. It’s a way of saying that every woman killed, every body violated, every voice silenced, deserves to be remembered. But also that every girl, every mother, every person has the right to live free from fear.
Violence against women: theater as a political act
The value of the work of CETEC and the Fo-Rame Company goes beyond entertainment. It’s not just about denouncing, but about creating spaces for empathy, listening and transformation. It is a civil action, a way to bring women’s voices to places where violence is often not seen or heard. To bring the word to where it has been torn. To restore dignity where it has been denied.
It is a way to transform art into care, into testimony, into possibility. And Franca Rame, who paid for the brutality of the violence on her own skincontinues to speak through these projects. Because every day is November 25th. And every day we can choose a side. All information on the site www.cetecteatro.it – www.spazioaldamerini.com