Teatro delle Ariette: the menus of the performances (part III)

2017-02-03 What were the menus like at the shows put on by Teatro delle Ariette, the theatre company established twenty years ago at “Le Ariette”, a farm near Castello di Serravalle – Valsamoggia (Bologna)? In almost all their performances, actors and farmers Paola Berselli and Stefano Pasquini put produce from their own farm on stage, cooking it in the theatre and sharing it with the audience.

In “Teatro da mangiare?” or Theatre to Eat? (2000), the menu for the first performance in Volterra was:
• Tomatoes, cucumbers and shallots from Le Ariette, preserved in olive oil and served with a yoghurt and dried basil sauce and flatbread cooked on a terra cotta plate
• Organic Parmesan cheese and dried sausage
• Tagliatelle made from semi-whole wheat flour with a pesto made of walnuts, hazelnuts and rosemary

In “Prima di Pasolini” or Before Pasolini (2002), the audience found themselves in the rural theatre of the Tool Warehouse at “Le Ariette” before a banquet of:
• Fresh ricotta cheese with honey and cherries
• Bread, salami and cheese
• Red wine

The menu for “Teatro di terra” or Theatre of the Land (2002) has changed over the years, but now represents its essence:
• Toasted salted almonds
• Corn polenta with extra virgin olive oil, parmesan cheese and rosemary.
“Over the years we have had elements that keep coming back on special occasions,” explains Stefano; “sausage meat sauce, friggione which is not fried, spinach soup and potatoes.”

In “Secondo Pasolini” or According to Pasolini (2003), the audience eats and drinks sitting on the grass:
• Bread, cheese and olives
• Panzanella (a cold soup made with day-old bread, tomatoes and red onions)
• Red wine

In “L’estate.fine” or “The summer.end” (2004), “we planted a field in Santarcangelo with corn and vegetables between January and July to create a living scene of vegetables for the show. Then we cooked vegetables from the field and ate them with the audience.” The menu was:
• Greg’s Macchiatino Aperitif (a full-bodied white wine generously splashed with Campari) and chips
• Vegetable ratatouille with piadina, a flatbread traditionally made in Romagna

In “Dans ma maison” (2006), a performance co-produced with Théatre de Chambre (France), Paola and Stefano made tigelle, circles of dough traditionally cooked between terra cotta tiles, and served:
• Hot tigelle with a selection of local cheeses and cured meats
In “È finito il tempo delle lacrime” or “The time of tears is over” (2007), they served:
• Hot freshly-made tigelle with mild pecorino cheese from the hills outside Bologna, mortadella, pink salami, ham and cured meats

In “Matrimonio d’inverno, diario intimo” or “Winter marriage: an intimate diary” (2010), “a performance that took place in our own kitchen, by candlelight, with the fire lit, for an audience of eight, whom we served a traditional local wedding banquet at our own table,” the menu was:
• Sparkling Pignoletto Corte D’Aibo wine with semi-whole wheat Crocette bread
• Tortellini in beef and chicken broth
• Boiled chicken and beef served with green sauce and boiled potatoes
• Custard trifle
“It was all served on a beautiful embroidered tablecloth which was a wedding gift. The plates, trays and soup tureen came from Paola’s mother’s antique set, with roses painted on ivory porcelain with gilded edge trim.”

In “Teatro Naturale? Io, il couscous e Albert Camus”, or “Natural Theatre? Me, couscous and Albert Camus” (2012), Paola and Stefano served the audience:
• Toasted salted almonds, taralli and red wine
• Couscous steamed with vegetables in season (which the audience themselves gathered as part of the performance), cooked in their own broth

In “Sul tetto del mondo” or “On the roof of the world” (2014-2015), the menu served on June 18 2014, Paola and Stefano’s silver wedding anniversary, was:
• Peasant bread from Garagnani bakery
• Sautéed courgettes, chard and chicory
• Fresh ricotta cheese
• Tagliatelle made from semi-whole wheat flour served with extra virgin olive oil
• Ciambella delle Ariette from Garagnani bakery
• Sparkling Pignoletto Corte d’Aibo wine

In “Tutto quel che so del grano” or “Everything I know about wheat” (2016), the following food is made on stage, cooked and eaten with the audience:
• Soft focaccia
“This food goes back to the roots of our civilisation,” says Stefano. “We ask the audience to bring focaccia or other products made from wheat from home, such as cakes, pizzas and breads, and share them with the rest of the audience after the show, an important time when everybody eats together and people get to know one another.”

Mariagrazia Villa

Photos: Stefano Vaja
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