Theatre and celebration as bridges between imprisoned parents and their children

A puppet stage, a room decorated for Halloween and above all an invisible thread that unites incarcerated parents and children: this is the heart of “Free Inside to Grow Outside” , the project that for months has intertwined art, affection and resilience in the “Ettore Scalas” prison in Uta.

On Sunday, October 26, at 6:00 pm, the Domus Claudia in Sestu will host Pierina and the Wolf, the final show of the puppet-making and animation workshop "The Hands That Move Dreams."

A title that says it all: young hands, aged 11 to 13, that bring the characters to life and, together, rekindle imagination and trust .

Leading them was Rauhl Bernardelli, master puppeteer of the Le Compagnie del Cocomero association, heir to a three-generation family tradition and today committed to passing it on to those who most need to tell their stories.

Over the course of six months, the participants—children of prisoners and young actors from the Prohairesis company—built their own puppets, invented stories and dialogues, and learned to "give voice" to often-silenced emotions. The result is a small theatrical event, open to children and families, promising an hour of poetry, movement, and discovery.

But the journey doesn't end there. The following day, Monday, October 27th, the Uta prison meeting room will be transformed into a huge Halloween party: face painting, sweets, music, and colors for an afternoon of shared normality. Warming up the atmosphere will be the Cagliari band Arkeos, who will perform a repertoire of Italian classics with a festive twist, organized by Exmé & Affini.

These two days have a profound goal: to strengthen the emotional bonds between parents and children, creating spaces where relationships can be regenerated. As the organizers explain, art and play become alternative languages for addressing stigma, distance, and the wounds of separation. Puppets and songs, in this context, are not just tools for entertainment, but also tools for rebuilding trust and self-esteem.

Free inside to grow outside is a project selected by Con i Bambini as part of the Fund for the fight against child educational poverty , and involves a network of social and institutional entities: the Elan cooperatives (leader), Exmè & Affini, Panta Rei Sardegna, Solidarietà Consorzio, Casa delle Stelle, the Ettore Scalas prison, the Interdistrict Office for External Penal Enforcement for Sardinia (Uiepe), the Municipality of Cagliari, the Prohairesis association and Aragorn Srl