ROME -- ‘In the Presence of Monsters’ is the latest theatrical creation by The English Theatre of Rome to be performed on Friday and Sunday, an original piece inspired by a very particular Italian setting in the Garden of Bomarzo in northern Lazio, promising to be a unique, emotive and engaging experience for English and Italian speakers alike.

 With the kind support of John Cabot University, The Institute for Creative Writing and Literary Translation, The Italy Reads Program and The Comune di Bomarzo (VT), THE ENGLISH THEATRE OF ROME presents, ‘In the Presence of Monsters’.

 A multi-disciplinary theatre piece created by and with Claribel Gross, Sarah Scholl, & Molly Zimmelman in the shade of Italy’s stone-faced monsters. Inspired by the history, mysteries, and mythologies surrounding Bomarzo’s Sacred Wood.

 The 'Sacro Bosco' - 'Sacred Grove' - colloquially called Park of the Monsters, is a big complex of wooded gardens in the province of Viterbo that holds an interesting fusion of vegetation stone statues and small buildings. The momumental grove was formed during the 16th Century, composed out of an already-existing wood at the bottom of a vallery beneath the castle of Orsini. The sculptures were then mixed in with the foliage in striking and eery ways.

 After having recently completed the graduate theatre program at Sarah Lawrence College in New York, three American artists with a shared passion for ensemble-devised work are collaborating to create an original theatre piece in Italy. The work is inspired by the eerily idyllic Sacred Wood of Bomarzo. ‘In the Presence of Monsters’ will be created on-site in the town during a condensed three-week process. Drawing upon a multi-disciplinary skillset honed during their time in graduate school, the piece will integrate music, movement, puppetry, and visual art, making it accessible to both English and Italian speaking audiences.

 There will be two performances of the work, both free entry but reservation necessary:

 · Friday, 9 September 21:00 - Palazzo Orsini, Bomarzo (VT), free "speghettata" after!

 · Sunday, 11 September 18:00 - John Cabot University, Via della Lungara 233

 RSVP Contact: gford@johncabot.edu or rometheatre@yahoo.com

 SMS /WhatsApp 39+3489355626, www.rometheatre.com

 nkd