VINCIPIT

BYSUSANNACASUBOLO

As a child, did you dream of becoming an artist?

Even as a child, although I had no conscience of wanting to do it, my instinct led me inthatdirectionbecauseIsangathome,Iinventedshowsofallkinds,mostlyIsang. Children, one of my desire was to go to the choir “dell’Antoniano “ to sing with “ Mago Zurlì.”

Iwatchedtelevisionanddreamedofgoingthere.Ialsolikedmodelsalotandinfact, paraded in front of the mirror, and then my first paid job, while I was studying at the university, was just model in Sicily, even before I started singing.

What were the people who inspired you?

The artistic vein was transmitted to me by my mother’s family; everyone wanted to do this job. She loved singing and acting; my aunt is a natural soprano, at the time herfatherdidnotallowhertodothisjob;myunclewouldhavebeenafantasticactor; another aunt was a fashion designer and a high level creator of fashion. I absorbed their desire and their predisposition for art. At that time people used to watch TV a lot in the family, there were wonderful programs. The artists of the time were, for example,Mina,OrnellaVanoni,artistsofthehighestlevelanddepth,andIremember thatoneoftheveryinitialsongsIsangwasMina’s.Istartedmycareerhavingheras an inspiration, then later I found my own path, my artistic personality.

You’re Sicilian, what to carry in your heart of your land?

Sicily is such a rich land that you can’t choose what you take inside, it’s part of you, it’srightinyourDNA,it’soneofthemostbeautifullandsintheworld,notonlyforits beauty but also for its cultural richness and territory . It has everything: the sea, the hill,themountain,thearchitecturalbeauties,thecultureofancienttimes,thegastronomic richness, the colors, the perfumes. It is truly a wonderful land, when you are born in Sicily, even if you leave it, she comes with you, I feel Sicilian in my marrow.

With great pride I am part of that good and beautiful part of Sicily. Unfortunately it is oftenassociatedwithnegativethings,butmostof Sicily is made up of beautiful people who work, whoproduce,solarpeople.Here,therefore,Ialways carry it inside together with the strength, the sunshine, the enthusiasm that helped me to go on and to live alone, despite the inevitable difficulties.

Ofallthepeopleyouworkedwithatthetheater who you remember most fondly?

I have a positive memory of everyone; of some, I have only an artistic memory, of others also emotional. Each of them left me something; I learned from everyone. This is one of the obligationsofanartistwhoconstantlywantstoimprove: stealing, in the positive sense, learning by looking at those who have more experience, always storing more information. I have an affective memory of many people I worked with in shows, colleagues and others. I can say that inalmosteveryshowIconnectedwithsomeone with whom a beautiful friendship was born.

In which of the fictions where you acted, have been more fun?

There is not one in particular. What regularly amuses me is the preparation, going through the “make-up and hair,” putting on the stage clothes, all this excites me, excites me, going over the scenes while I’m getting ready. I like backstage; it’s something that has always fascinated me. Now it’s so long since I did fiction I hope to come back soon.

Whatdidyoulikeandwhatdidyounotlikedoingtelevision?

Televisionwasmyfirstlove.Myfirstliveperformancewasat"Domenicain",Iamveryfond ofandconnectedtotelevision.Thebestthing about television, in the case of the varieties I've done, is that of always having to be very focused and careful, because you're live, you don't have the possibility of replication, it's notlikeafictionoramovieforwhichyoubeat ciakandthereyoucanrepeat,asinthetheateranyway.Theadrenaline,theneedtobevery focused and at the same time casual,because youarestilladdressinganaudience,isaconditionthatIlikeverymuch.

There was an American parenthesis in your life,whatbroughtyouthere?

It was a case that brought me to the USA, as muchasIwantedverymuchtogothereIhad notyetmadethedecisiontodoso,andonlythe casedeterminedthatIhadtogotheresuddenly.IwasperforminginRomeatanevent,there wereItalian-Americans,whoofferedmetogo to America to perform, and I left with them threedayslaterandthenstayedtherefortwo years.

Ihadincredibleexperiences;Iworkedinboth PhiladelphiaandNewYork;IwenttotheWhite House.ImetGeorgeW.Bush;inPhiladelphia, whereIlivedduringthosetwoyears,ImetBill Clinton.IimprovedmyEnglishwhichIalready knewverywellbecauseIhadstudieditatthe College.

Itwasawonderfulexperience;Igrewup,becausebeinginacountryveryfarfromyourreality,completely alone,makesyougrow,andIcansaythatIhavecome backwithaheavyandimportantbaggage.Itwasmy choicetoreturn.However,IhadbuiltalotinItaly,and Ididn’tfeellikethrowingitallaway,butthankstothat experience; I intensified my work in Italy of events in English.Itwasasuccessfulchoice.

Even your great-grandfather “Ciccio Carrà Tringali,” famous poet, emigrated to the United States and then returned to Sicily after a few years.

My great-grandfather was forced to emigrate as was the case then because the work was very little and in Sicily, there was so much poverty, unfortunately he was not as lucky as many others who emigrated instead. He hoped to move his family there but had no luck, so he returned because he was forced, I returned because I decided to return, this is a big difference. My great-grandfather was an extraordinary poet who wrote hundreds of poems that have been published. I dedicated a part of my last concert to him, and I plan to make a whole show.

” Vincipit” is the first project totally yours, how long did you have it inside?

I don’t know how many years but certainly so many. I wanted to create something of my own, but I was busy with other shows, other work situations. Unconsciously, I must have done a sort of harvest because, a bit like good wine, Vincipit has been fermenting for many years, preparing an excellent juice that suddenly came out when I felt the need to create something of mine. It happened at a moment of rebirth, a moment in which I wanted to turn the page, and I wanted to dedicate myself to something that was really mine. I wanted to dedicate some time to this desire. Even the title is representative because it is the synthesis between my surname and the word incipit, it identifies me. The first show was called “Vincipit ... I start from me” because for me, it was a new beginning. There have already been three shows, the last one made recently in October. Those who know me ask: “when will you do the next Vincipit?” And I like this thing very much.