Admission fee – Buy tickets The playwright Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt accepted the proposal to take a month-long trip to the Holy Land to recount his experience in a diary, thus the book “The Challenge of Jerusalem” was born. Now his voice, at times ironic and disillusioned, at times moved and revealing, becomes a narration on stage, leading the spectator on a physical journey, full of unexpected encounters and events, which soon reveals itself as a demanding inner journey. Bethlehem, Nazareth, and above all, Jerusalem: the city of contradiction, a place that speaks of coexistence, but also of unsolved tensions. With an unexpected reflection, made even more urgent by current events, the author investigates the city of the three monotheisms, searching among its streets full of history and suggestions for a credible word of peace. Schmitt’s conversion to Christianity, initially born as a theoretical option, takes flesh in this journey to a mystical revelatory event experienced with transport during the visit to the Holy Sepulcher. The movement from the abstract to the human, which the writer must make in this journey of laborious sharing, is very similar to the path necessary for the coexistence of different beliefs: religions could abandon some abstract rigidity, accepting as necessary the different human traits that characterize them. The encounters and places, true co-protagonists of the staging, are evoked with live musical interventions, scenes, and projected images. The dramaturgy condenses the text, initially not conceived for the theater, into a montage of cinematic style that creates rhythm with the juxtaposition of evocative and narrative scenes. The challenge of Jerusalem is an opportunity to publicly express the complexity and urgency of the provocation that comes from the lands of Israel and Palestine. The intricate political contrast here takes on the universal tones of a narrative that seeks the essential in the tragedy, separating accidental factors from an indispensable charity for the human. Based on the work “The Challenge of Jerusalem.

A Journey to the Holy Land” by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, translated by Alberto Bracci Testasecca. Text adaptation by Otello Cenci and Emanuele Fant. Directed by Otello Cenci. With Ettore Bassi. Live music by Mirna Kassis, Matteo Damele, Filippo Dionigi, Tomas Milner, with video participation by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt. Assistant director Mauro Pierro, technical OfficinaTeatro srl, video projections Enrico Pazzagli, set design UFO_è Urgente Forzare l’Orizzonte, filming at Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt Marco Barbieri, production secretary Mia Fabbri, organizational secretary Federica Rossi. From an idea by Lorenzo Fazzini. A co-production – Fondazione Meeting per l’amicizia fra i popoli ETS, Fondazione Istituto Dramma Popolare San Miniato, Centro Teatrale Bresciano. With the patronage of the Municipality of Rimini. In collaboration with the Sagra Musicale Malatestiana. With the support of Gruppo Maggioli, Novomatic and Vulcan-Società Italiana Gas Liquidi. The work “The Challenge of Jerusalem” by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt is represented by the Drama Agency, Paris – France – www.dramaparis.com on behalf of ANTIGONE SA – www.eric-emmanuel-schmitt.com and in Italy by the D’Arborio 1902 srls Agency – Rome – Italy.