Il teatro contemporaneo come strumento culturale. Il caso di Spettatori Migranti, un progetto di “spettatorialità aumentata” a Roma

In the context of applied theatre, refugees have been lately taken under high consideration, with a continuous growing interest parallel to the aggravation of the related international crisis. However, analysing the social theatre international context, it is possible to identify an almost inexistent presence of projects that look at migrants and refugees as members of a community of spectators. As a matter of fact, spectatorship has not been so far considered as an experience able to promote integration, civic development, or insight into the hosting cultural paradigms. The paper aims at highlighting and explaining the importance of these practices by focusing on the Spettatori Migranti / Attori Sociali project as chosen case study. This project was launched in the context of the Centro di Accoglienza Straordinaria (first-line reception facility for refugees) Casilina in Rome, and has so far established several connections with local and national associations and institutions. Fostering the idea that theatre-going in itself can provide a cultural toolkit, this independent organization is committed to gathering groups of refugees and migrants, guiding them through a spectatorship experience and post-show discussions to then
move onto a collective process of experience-sharing and analysis in various forms of deliveries (radio broadcasts, video interviews, drawings or multimedia feeds).