Running with courage, understood not as the absence of fear, but as the strength needed to ride it in an age dominated by fear and indifference. This is the theme of the 27th edition of the Festival dei Tacchi, the contemporary theater event in the landscape organized by the Cagliari-based company Cada Die Teatro, which from August 3rd to 9th will transform the municipalities of Jerzu and Ulassai into an open-air stage. Seven days with 19 shows, 15 actors and actresses, 6 musicians, 3 workshops, book presentations, 7 natural and urban stages, for a collective journey that focuses on ethics, memory, and beauty as bulwarks against ignorance. "We need courage to avoid slipping into indifference; it's the only way to remain standing even when the wind blows against us," explains artistic director Giancarlo Biffi. "Theater and art become collective bulwarks in a time when terror attempts to steal the entire spotlight. Against ignorance and arrogance, with stubbornness and passion, we continue to make theatre because, today more than ever, my love never dies."
The program is characterized by the usual high artistic quality and a strong commitment to the themes of inclusion, sustainability, historical memory, and identity valorization.
The connection between community theater and territorial identity is explored at the festival's opening with the scenic production "Incanti," directed by Francesca Pani, which rediscovers rural wisdom and the roots of the region. The theme of identity is also explored in Gimmi Basilotta's "Di magiche storie e montagne incantate," a theatrical and pictorial journey through mysterious creatures and Alpine legends that evokes the wild soul of the high valleys. Historical memory as an act of resistance is explored in Alessandro Lay's "Above Us the Bombs," which intertwines the rise of fascism with the dramatic bombings of Cagliari in 1943. Giancarlo Biffi, accompanied by live music by Moses, will recall the stories of the past so as not to relive the same atrocities in the present. He will lead the audience in "Al cuore," an act of resistance featuring sincere gazes, voices unafraid to show their fragility, and invitations to remember what shaped us—fathers, friends, struggles, dreams—so as not to completely lose our way.
Luca Radaelli's play "Theatre is my life" is an authentic family saga spanning a century of Italian history, including the political events of the twentieth century. Also exploring memory is Max Paiella's tribute in "Port pazienza, Max e Paz," celebrating the seventieth anniversary of his birth, the revolutionary genius and artistic legacy of Andrea Pazienza, through music and satire. This thread is complemented by Giuseppe Cederna's delicate and profound foray into literature and collective memory with his homage to Gianni Rodari, "Not because everyone is an artist, but because no one is a slave," a journey that celebrates imagination and words as instruments of freedom, civic growth, and cultural resistance.
On the front lines of sustainability and ecological awareness, Roberto Mercadini's "Animali umani" reflects on the transformations of our species' epic in relation to the natural world; Dario Vergassola's "Storie disconceranti" ironically addresses the environmental crisis, extending his satire to the animal world; and the very young students of the Ulassai Primary School, directed by Lara Farci, Silvestro Ziccardi, and Maria Mou in the "Rifiutiamoci" workshop, transform waste management into a creative resource and a profound ecological reflection. The festival then celebrates female resilience and emancipation with Silvia Elena Montagnini in "A tutta controvento," focusing on the extraordinary life of cyclist Maria Canins and the struggles for women's emancipation in sport. This is complemented by a choral exploration of youth fragility inspired by Amy Winehouse in "Cuori di panna smontata" (Cuori di panna smontata), and Rossella Fava's dramaturgy in "M(other"), a necessary text focusing on the complex and delicate theme of motherhood and gestation for others.
Reinterpreting myth and gender violence are at the heart of Daria Paoletta's Maledetta primavera, a powerful reimagining of the myth of Proserpina, experienced through the eyes of a single mother facing the injustice her daughter endured. Meanwhile, the disorientation of the present is exorcised through liberating laughter and folk songs in Paolo Rossi's show, featuring Caterina Gabanella and Emanuele Dell'Aquila. Finally, there's room for musical exploration and more with Giuliana Musso in Qualcosa d'invisibile, a concerto for theremin, piano, and lyrics that explores the adventurous life of scientist Lev Termen and the invisible feeling that drives human destiny. Finally, there's a must-see for the little ones and their favorite Gufo Rosmarino, created by Biffi.
THE FESTIVAL ACCORDING TO THE ADMINISTRATORS OF JERZU AND ULASSAI
For over twenty-five years, the Festival dei Tacchi has been a profound part of Jerzu's cultural identity. Every summer, between the Ogliastra "Tacchi" (heels) and the Cannonau vineyards, an event unites theater, community, beauty, and emotion, demonstrating how even a small town can become a great hub of culture and thought. Jerzu continues to believe in the extraordinary power of theater, the unique emotion of live performance, and the value of culture as a tool for civic and human growth. This is the special atmosphere that spectators have breathed in our August nights for years: that of a town that manages to blend its winemaking identity with the magic of theater, transforming the Festival into a spiritual place recognized and loved far beyond the borders of Sardinia. We are proud that all this continues to happen here, in Jerzu." Carlo Lai, Mayor of Jerzu
"The municipal administration confirms its support for the Festival dei Tacchi, an event that positively impacts the cultural life and cohesion of our municipality. The high-quality events scheduled offer a significant opportunity for growth for the entire region. Among the various events, this year's section dedicated to books written by Ulassai residents will continue, demonstrating the town's intellectual vitality. Workshops for young people will also continue, a project that has now established a strong following among families. Finally, the collaboration with the Fondazione Stazione dell'Arte allows us to complement the festival with a series of related activities that constructively round out the calendar. We are delighted to host an event that attracts such a large audience, including from outside, to raise awareness and appreciation not only of the cultural content, but also of the beauty of our region." - Luigi Deidda, Deputy Mayor of Ulassai
The Heels Festival is supported by the Municipality of Jerzu, the Municipality of Ulassai, the Fondazione di Sardegna, the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, the Ministry of Culture, the Province of Ogliastra, and the Stazione dell'Arte Foundation.
THE PROGRAM
- Monday, August 3 - Jerzu
The Festival's strong connection to its host territory is celebrated at 6:30 pm in the Jerzu Town Council Chamber during a journey with the Tacchi d'Ogliastra community, made up of essential gestures and simple things, as essential as bread or a sprouting seed. The scenic culmination, Incanti, starring the Tacchi residents directed by Francesca Pani, is a journey rooted in rural wisdom, woven with patience, care, and wonder. An invitation to rediscover the slow pace of life, between one passing cloud and another arriving. In this suspended space, a discreet, everyday wonder takes shape: where happiness dwells in the small things, silent and precious.
- Tuesday, August 4 – Jerzu
Three stories, three stages of life: wonder, trust, rebellion. And in each, a recurring question: how can we remain human when the world seems intent on dehumanizing us? At 7:15 pm, in the courtyard of the Armando Businco High School, Giancarlo Biffi, directed by Mauro Mou and accompanied by harmonica player and composer Moses and percussionist Giorgio Del Rio, presents the reading "Al cuore" (Cada Die Teatro production), based on the artistic director's latest work, "Aria di libertà" (Segnavia editions). It is a sincere gaze, a voice unafraid to show its fragility, an invitation to remember what shaped us—fathers, friends, struggles, dreams—so as not to completely lose our way. Because, in the end, memory is not a refuge. It is an act of resistance.
On the same stage, but at 9:30 pm, will be Roberto Mercadini, a histrionic storyteller, with "Human Animals (a monologue about all of us)" (Sillaba Productions). It's the tale of our species' epic through some of the traits that distinguish us, because they are eternal, yet in constant transformation. Societies: from packs to states. War: from bare hands to nuclear weapons. Fire. Food. Cults. A sometimes dizzying, sometimes comical overview to understand what we are. What distinguishes us and what unites us with chimpanzees, ants, viruses, and any other part of nature.
- Wednesday, August 5 – Jerzu and Ulassai
The third day's performances will begin at 11 a.m. in the Francesco Carta Municipal Library in Jerzu with Alessandro Lay's new work, Sopra di noi le bombe (Above Us the Bombs), in collaboration with Pierpaolo Piludu for the Cada Die Teatro production. The work is loosely based on the play by Emilio Lussu and the stories of the children of 1943. A tale that straddles the great history—the end of the First World War and the rise of fascism, narrated with fury and irony by Emilio Lussu—and the small stories of those who experienced firsthand the tragedy of the bombings of Cagliari in 1943. The stories of those who were 10 years old in those days and saw with their own eyes their city razed to the ground by the Flying Fortresses of the United States of America.
At 5 pm, at the Canyon Sa Tappara in Ulassai, Gimmi Basilotta (Dispari Teatro) gives voice to the mountains with "Di magiche storie e montagne incantate" (Of Magical Stories and Enchanted Mountains), telling intertwined tales of animals, people, and mysterious creatures that populate the valleys and peaks of the Cuneo Alps. These stories are bound together by a narrative framework where the mountains themselves speak, and where the tales' characters take shape and come to life. A pictorial and theatrical journey where animals, people, and spirits merge in the wild and enchanted heart of the high valleys.
At 7:15 pm, in the courtyard of Businco High School in Jerzu, Luca Radaelli (produced by Teatro Invito) will explore a genuine family saga in "Theatre is my life," spanning a century of Italian history, intertwining the protagonists' destinies with the political events of the twentieth century. In this lively and entertaining theatrical reading, we delve into the charming charm of the French Riviera, the color of 1960s Rome, and a breakfast in Casablanca. A tale full of wit and affection for a golden age.
The third day of the Festival concludes with an exceptional acrobat: Paolo Rossi, accompanied by musicians Caterina Gabanella and Emanuele Dell'Aquila, performs at 9:30 pm in Operaccia Satirica – Onora i padri e paga la psicologo (Agidi production). A comedian in therapy, a musician, and a complicit audience: Rossi transforms the great classics and real life into folk songs and comic poems. Through improvisation, fictionalized memories, and incorrect language, the show combats the confusion of the present with liberating laughter. If the path is lost, all that's left is to lose yourself in the stories to find yourself again... and laugh out loud.
- Thursday, August 6 – Jerzu and Ulassai
It starts at 11:00 at the Francesco Carta Library with a repeat of Sopra di noi le bombe, starring Alessandro Lay.
At 5:00 p.m., the event moves to the Camuc Casa Museo Cannas in Ulassai for Dialoghi di carta – Voci di Ulassai, the traditional book event. Curated by Giuseppe Cabizzosu, with readings by Pierapolo Piludu, the afternoon will feature presentations of Totu sas poesias by Antonio Puddu; Nuraxia. Book Two: The Valiants by Romolo Murgia; and Fogli sporchi by Gianpiero Piras.
At 7:15 pm, we return to Jerzu to enjoy the portrait of a woman traveling against the wind: against the prejudices, rules, and struggles of an era. In A tutta controvento, Silvia Elena Montagnini (Dispari Teatro) tells the story of Maria Canins, the flying mother who dominated the Tour de France at 36; her life is intertwined with the struggle for women's emancipation in sports. From Alfonsina Strada to Katherine Switzer, a tale of resilience and passion that has changed the way we think about women and their freedom.
Friday, August 7 – Jerzu and Ulassai
The Festival resumes in the morning at 11:00 at the Francesco Carta Library in Jerzu with a repeat performance of Sopra di noi le bombe, starring Alessandro Lay.
This afternoon, at 5:30 pm at the Stazione dell'Arte in Ulassai, artistic director Giancarlo Biffi takes the stage with "Rosemary Owl and the Book Looking for a Home," a traditional children's theater event. In this eleventh story, Rosemary Owl and his inseparable friend, Bark the Bat, encounter a lost book that doesn't know who it is. Helping it is difficult for those who don't read human language, especially with the "Brusalibri" (Book Burners) always ready to burn books instead of reading them. Will our heroes be able to overcome every obstacle and bring the book safely into Anita's hands?
At 7:15 pm Max Paiella celebrates the revolutionary genius of Paz in Porta Pazienza, Max and Paz.
To Andrea Pazienza, 70 years after his birth (produced by Cada Die Teatro), a journey through music, satire, and nostalgia. From the nastiness of Zanardi to the irony of Paz and Pert, the story weaves together the '70s and '80s with today's reality. A brilliant show, combining slides and music, to rediscover the legacy of an artist who changed comics forever.
The final performance of the day, at 9:30 pm, will feature Dario Vergassola, celebrating twenty years of his career in Ogliastra with the best of his repertoire. With "Disconcerting Stories," featuring irreverent questions to writers, scientists, politicians, and trade unionists, the La Spezia-born artist's satire now extends to the animal world, reflecting, amidst laughter, on nature and the ecological crisis. The result is a show with an irresistible pace that successfully prompts audience reflection and challenges some of their beliefs.
Saturday, August 8 – Ulassai
The penultimate day of the Festival kicks off at 5:30 pm at the Stazione dell'Arte in Ulassai with "Rifiutiamoci" (a Cada Die Teatro production), the staged outcome of the Maestra Luisa workshop, directed during the school year by Lara Farci, Silvestro Ziccardi, and Maria Mou. The protagonists of this story will be the students of the fourth and fifth grades of the elementary school in Maria Lai's hometown. At the heart of the story is the challenge of waste: a problem for humanity, but also a precious resource when transformed with creativity. Through the play of theater, the elementary school students create entertaining situations and profound reflections on ecology, reminding us that our every action has a valuable impact on the environment around us.
At 7:15 PM, Apulian actress, writer, and director Daria Paoletta rewrites the myth of Proserpina's abduction through the eyes of a lonely mother in "Cursed Spring, Because the Gods Cannot Cry" (an Armamaxa Teatro, Pagine Bianche Teatro, and Giallo Mare Minimal Teatro production). Through biting irony and profound pain, the play reveals the profile of a fragile woman, determined to right the wrongs her daughter has suffered. A reflection on separation and the violence that begets violence, in a story where loss inevitably becomes the birth of a new era.
At 9:30 pm, Giuliana Musso, one of the most intense, lucid, and essential voices in narrative and investigative theater in Italy, brings to the stage "Something Invisible. Concerto for Theremin, Piano, and Words." The theremin is the only instrument in the world that can be played without touching it, floating in the air. Leo Virgili, with Giovanna Pezzetta on the piano and Musso's voice, explores its invisible soul through music and stories. A journey into the adventurous life of its inventor, Lev Termen: a twentieth-century parable of secrets, science, and that impalpable feeling that moves destiny.
Sunday, August 9 – Jerzu and Ulassai
The final day of the Festival will open at 5:00 PM in the Bosco di Sant'Antonio in Jerzu with "My Amy," the stage production of a workshop directed by Francesco Niccolini and Mauro Mou, featuring "Cuori di panna smontata," the student actors and actresses from the Cada Die Teatro performing arts school. Very young voices reconstruct a portrait of Amy Winehouse: not a distant star, but a girl caught between triumphs and bitter disappointments. From her overwhelming love affairs to her relationship with her father, to her alcoholism, the story explores a life mercilessly squeezed. A choral narrative that questions that sense of emptiness and fragility that ultimately permeates all of us.
At 7:15 PM, Rossella Fava, a respected emerging actress and playwright, directed by Renato Sarti, stars in M(other) (a Teatro della Cooperativa production). Thirty years after an event that tied their destinies to Rome, Silvia and Carmela entrust their memories to a young writer. Between deep desires and Sicilian roots, a case of surrogacy resurfaces: a delicate journey of self-discovery, which questions the profound meaning of motherhood. A necessary text on a complex theme, suspended between desire, care, and new human frontiers.
The Festival closes with a performance by a great friend and passionate connoisseur of the island, Giuseppe Cederna, with "Not Because Everyone Is an Artist, But Because No One Is a Slave," a poetic and civic journey that reminds us that creativity must be a universal right, to shape free citizens, not subjects. A necessary tribute to Gianni Rodari, a master who taught us to look at the world with new eyes, overturning the logic of power through utopia.
(Unioneonline)