C‘And Noemi, who after a tumor on the palate he has found his voice again and today leads a choir again. There is Anita, who during the illness he discovered a silent and profound dialogue with nature and today cultivates an olive grove. And Carla, a survivor of jaw osteosarcoma and to a painful separation. These are just some of the ten cancer patients protagonists of “Vestis et Vulnus”. Not professional actresses, therefore, but women who have gone through the disease and who, on stage, will give voice to their transformation journey. Embodying their stories of rebirth after cancer.
The appointment is for the evening of March 6th, in the historic Almo Collegio Borromeo in Pavia. The show is inspired by the seventeenth-century frescoes created by Cesare Nebbia in the College’s Fresco Hall, dedicated to the figure of Carlo Borromeo, remembered as the “Saint of the Plague”.
Vestis et Vulnus: 10 allegorical virtues for 10 cancer patients
Each woman will play one of the ten allegorical virtues which, from the seventeenth century to today, are universal symbols of internal resources which help us resist, change and be reborn. As Paupertas today it can mean getting rid of what is superfluous to start again. While Pietas it is the virtue that emerges in the delicacy with which many patients protect their family members while fighting their battle.
Each woman has chosen “her own”, so that behind every virtue there is a real story. «It was surprising – says the artist Claudia Augusta Botta, who created the show – see how every woman naturally recognized herself in her own allegory. There was nothing forced: the stories matched the symbols perfectly.”
Noemi, who returned to singing and directing a choir after a tumor on her palate, will be “Oratio”, the power of the voice
Noemi, Anita, Carla: survivors and protagonists
This is how Noemi, a survivor of palate cancer, will interpret Oratio, the power of the word and the voice which vibrates again.
Carla, a lawyer in the public administration, fought with an osteosarcoma in her jaw but also to overcome a painful separation. His strength was his love for his son and the search for justice: for this reason he will take on the role of Honor.
Anitawhich has been able to engage in a profound dialogue with plants and today owns an entire olive grove, will give life to “Perseverantia”firmness and resilience in adversity.
While Anita, who today cultivates an olive grove, will represent Perseverantia, the resilience that allows you to remain steadfast even in storms.
Tumor, stories of rebirth
Sponsored by the Municipality of Pavia, the event is directed by the artist and costume designer Claudia Augusta Botta e promoted by the National Center for Oncological Hadrontherapy. This year too CNAO chooses to celebrate International Women’s Day through stories of patients who crossed the “border” between before and after the disease.
Stage clothes are not simple aesthetic elements, but emotional extensions, symbolic tools that transform lived experiences into images. The very title of the show, Vestis et Vulnus (“dress and wound”) contains the meaning of the event: the wounds should not be hidden, but transformed into something that can illuminate a new identity.
