The Assembly - the project

Rita Maffei / Partecipatory theatre

Reflecting on 1968 and the legacy of its movement from a female perspective, with the assembly as its most emblematic instrument of confrontation.
This participatory theatre play investigates the relationship between the changes brought about by '68 in women's lives and in contemporary life.

The Assembly is performed using participatory theatre, a technique Rita Maffei has used to work with citizens of all ages, women and men from different backgrounds, and refugees and asylum seekers for the City of Peace Foundation in Potenza.
These performances include N46°-E13° (with 100 citizens of Udine), Lady Europe 2.0 (part of the collective project EU Europa Utopia, which opened Mittelfest 17), Ufficio Ricordi Smarriti (staged for six months), Human Link (with refugees and asylum seekers), L'Assemblea (with 80 girls and women) and Sissignora! , on female leadership for Mittelfest 2019, and Storie di persone in viaggio, performed with refugees and Italian citizens in Matera in 2019. Other projects include the audioguide for the City of Udine, 'Città inquieta', and the new 2021 projects 'Gli Altri' and 'Gli Altri – Lettere allo spettatore che non c'è'. , inspired by the work of Peter Handke; and Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso, which is included in the D'ante Litteram project — Dante Alighieri Nostro Contemporaneo, which is supported by the National Committee for the Celebrations of the 700^(th) Anniversary of Dante Alighieri's death, which is overseen by the Ministry of Culture.
In autumn 2022, she realised MurMur, a participatory theatre workshop organised as part of the ARIA – L'Aquila University Theatre Festival in collaboration with the L'Aquila Urban Centre. Between 2022 and 2023, she also staged Comizi d'amore, inspired by Pasolini's documentary film, in Udine, Cervignano del Friuli and Lecce.

The Assembly is a participatory performance about the condition of women. It is an exportable format realised with participants from a specific city or territory after an open workshop for citizens, as has already happened at Teatro Contatto in Udine (2018), Passo a Due Festival in Thiene (2021), Teatro Koreja in Lecce and Bari (2022), Teatro Quarticciolo in Rome (2022) and Polo del ‘900 – Turin/Biennale Democrazia (2025).

The Assembly is a game, requiring shared rules so that all spectators (both men and women) can participate actively.
In The Assembly, we discuss the present and future, starting from the past. The show investigates the legacy of '68: what has changed since then; what that movement achieved; what we still need to do; and what we need to start again for. It does not talk about history, but about people's stories.

No skills or previous theatrical experience are necessary. During the workshop, we will find ways in which everyone can express themselves.
Participatory theatre is neither a theatre course nor amateur theatre. No scripts will be provided to be learnt by heart and performed, but anyone can take part in the performances, either as an everyday life expert who will be suitably trained during the workshop or as a spectator.
Each participant brings their own life experiences, thoughts and emotions to the stage. Participation in this social and artistic experience is entirely voluntary.