Cirano

Loosely based on Edmond Rostand's Cirano de Bergerac

This year, the Luiss Guido Carli Theater Course celebrates its twentieth anniversary. To fittingly celebrate this important and prestigious milestone, we have chosen one of the most famous and well-known masterpieces of French literature: Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac, in Franco Cuomo's modern translation. 

Cirano de Bergerac is a tribute to theater, poetry, and a culture that can be revolutionary. Its protagonist is a poet who battles giants, “proud of his army of comedians.” The mechanism of the theatrical game forms the very foundation of this work: the fiction into which Cristiano and Cyrano venture to win Rossana’s heart feels like a performance, and Cristiano’s handsome face is merely the mask behind which the poet’s soul is concealed, just as it is in acting. Art serves a very tangible purpose, and the stage is where it truly comes to life. Cyrano's freedom and his radical choice to reveal the truth seduce, irritate, and leave no one indifferent. However, not everyone knows that this legendary character is inspired by the historical figure of Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac, one of the most eclectic writers of 17th-century France and a forerunner of science fiction literature. His novels are a metaphor for wondrous, realistic, and visionary journeys to the Moon and the Sun.  

Therefore, working on this text with the students in the course will be a fantastic journey into the world of theater and the emotions that drive it, the quest for beauty and love above all else: “But what is a kiss, then? A pink apostrophe placed between the words 'I love you,'” says Cyrano.

Cyrano is one of theater's most beloved characters: ugly but beautiful in his daring, he pays a personal price for every act of courageous intransigence. He is remarkably modern, a symbol of consistency and freedom that continues to surprise us to this day. The strength of this text lies in its ability to span genres—comedy, grotesque, and drama—while still remaining one of the most intense and moving stories ever written. The many characters that bring it to life—extravagant, whimsical, romantic, and comedic—allow us to create a grand human tapestry that also becomes a profound expression of love for the theater. 

With Cirano, we’ll explore passions, how to portray them on stage, and how to ignite that spark that drives people to act and surpass their limits. We’ll also seek echoes of these themes in Italian singer-songwriters, starting, of course, with Francesco Guccini’s beautiful song “Cirano,” and then moving on to Giorgio Gaber, Fabrizio de André, Francesco De Gregori, and others, which will naturally become our soundtrack.

This year, our course will once again blend words and music, theatrical gestures, and choreography, enabling students to push their limits, expand their knowledge, and gain greater self-awareness.

Ferdinando Ceriani

The theater workshop begins in November and concludes in May with the staging of a final performance. All members of the Luiss Community with an institutional relationship with the University are eligible to participate in the workshop. 

Students | Leading actors

• Agnese Acciardi 
• Agnese Anzalone
• Andrea Gallese
• Angelo Maria Naborre
• Antonio Coppa
• Asia Renzulli
• Beatrice Felline 
• Beatrice Ruocco 
• Beatrice Nardi 
• Carlotta Maggi
• Chiara Carbone
• Claudia Bernardi
• Donato Di Risio
• Elena Anastasi
• Elena Neri 
• Emma Betti
• Federica Natella
• Federico Grieci
• Filippo Maria Giovannelli
• Florence Colcombet 
• Francesca Ciurlia 
• Francisco Leiva 
• Giordana Agosta
• Giorgia Fantoni 
• Giorgia Laudicina
• Giorgia Verna 
• Giulia Ferretti 
• Isabella Luzzi
• Jacopo Zagarrio 
• Leonardo De Marco
• Leonardo Altieri
• Martina Desio
• Miriam Fricano 
• Nicolò Bonaga 
• Raffaele Nicosia 
• Rebecca Greene 
• Sara Fontanella
• Simone Lucia 
• Sofia Canale 
• Virginia Liguori
• Zoe Ciulli

attivitaculturali@luiss.it
06 85225917