Teatro Patologico

Rome Fiumicino Airport – an exceptional venue for artistic performances and the exhibition of extraordinary masterpieces such as Salvator Mundi by Giovan Lorenzo Bernini – became the stage for a theatre of diversity and inclusivity, thanks to the unprecedented collaboration between the Teatro Patologico Onlus – a no-profit theatre company made up of actors and actresses with mental disabilities – and Aeroporti di Roma.

In the suggestive Square of boarding area A in Terminal 1, ten actors from the Teatro Patologico performed one of the most significant scenes from Euripides' Medea, enchanting and engaging passengers in transit and adding a touch of unexpected magic to their journey. This is the first time the Teatro Patologico Onlus has performed in an airport.

At the heart of one of Leonardo da Vinci's most iconic locations, one of the most evocative scenes from Greek tragedy thus came to life, in which Giasone confesses to Medea that he will marry Glauce, the daughter of Creon, thus unleashing the wrath and terrible vengeance of his wife. The performance, which represents themes, fears and tragedies that are still relevant today, ended with a ritual dance. The play engaged professional and disabled actors who, accompanied on the piano by Maestro Francesco Santalucia, performed in ancient Greek this fragment from Euripides' tragedy Medea, re-adapted by Dario D'Ambrosi, artistic director and founder of the Compagnia Stabile of the Teatro Patologico. After the opening speech by the mayor of Fiumicino Mario Baccini, the performance was introduced by the President of Aeroporti di Roma Vincenzo Nunziata and RAI journalist Domenico Iannacone, who hosted the theatre company in one of the episodes of his TV programme I dieci comandamenti on RAI3, demonstrating great sensitivity for Social Theatre.

The unique Teatro Patologico Onlus has worked for over 30 years to create a rendezvous between theatre and mental disability through continuous methodological research involving young people with disabilities. Much more than a mere place of entertainment, it is a universe in which art is combined with inclusivity, generating transformative magic. What emerges is a powerful message: art knows no limits and can cross barriers to unite seemingly distant worlds, creating an authentic connection between individuals.

The Teatro Patologico, in collaboration with the University of Rome Tor Vergata, has founded the world's first university course in integrated emotional theatre for mentally disabled people and has performed in four continents, in Tokyo, New York, Johannesburg and London.

Those present were given a t-shirt with the message Io sono un po’ matto…e tu? [I'm a bit mad...what about you?] suggesting that it is fundamentally wrong to judge others, given that there can be a healthy bit of madness in everyone.