Viva is a documentary theatre production based on the true stories that grandmothers and great-aunts told the actress Giulia Esposito about their experiences during the Second World War. The play blends poetic and symbolic language with a realistic portrayal of events, bearing witness to the strong and courageous women who, during the war, found ways to save lives and act for the good of others. The 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and Italy’s liberation from fascist dictatorship was the driving force behind the creation of Viva, whose main aim is to keep historical memory alive and pass it on, through relatable, simple, everyday events, concerning wars and dictatorships.

The character of Collective Memory, the show’s central thread, guides the audience on a journey through the stories, taking on a different persona each time and recounting events from that character’s perspective. It weaves together the past of others with everyone’s present, creating a continuous parallel between the macroscopic universe of the dates and events of the War and the microscopic world of individual lives. The protagonists of these events are small-scale heroines, hidden from the history books, with their everyday realities. Viva is a multidisciplinary show where theatre and music blend together. Singing, the violin and the accordion, played live by the performer, create a rich soundscape. The dramaturgy is based on original texts created by the author Giannina Di Martino, inspired by the oral stories passed down through the performer’s family. These are intimate, relatable stories of everyday resistance. A moving journey through stories which, though tinged with the past, have left a deep mark on the present.