Marco D’Agostin

Palaeontology and romanticism, two phenomena that take time, have more in common than you might think, as the protagonist, a palaeontologist, will explain to the audience in a talk about bones, extinctions, and the materials that are constantly traversing the cosmos. When the first scientific theories pointing to the impact of an asteroid on Earth as the direct cause of the sudden extinction of dinosaurs began to emerge, many scholars of the subject refused to accept the possibility, which is still debated today, much as we struggle to accept the abrupt and cruel change in our lives when a lover leaves us.

But his lecture will be hijacked by a musical, a paradoxical and overwhelming form of entertainment, in a battle of sorts between Broadway and the protagonist scientist that unfolds through a production bringing together science and love, entertainment and information, life and death, dance and theatre. Here, singing and dancing surprise us like a meteorite that has just fallen from the sky. Asteroid explores life and the many mysterious ways in which it overcomes any obstacle and reappears again and again, never giving up.

The creator of the show, Marco D’Agostin, is a dancer and choreographer whose works question issues such as memory, extinction, entertainment, and the ever-changing relationship between audiences and performers. He has won international awards for emerging talent and has been an associate artist at the Piccolo Teatro di Milano from 2022. Sounds, words, and movements come together in productions (Avalanche, 2017; First Love, 2018; Best regards, 2020; Gli anni, 2022, among many others) that embrace the emotional commitment between performers and audience members.

Artistic credits 

A creation by and with: Marco D’Agostin
Sound: Luca Scapellato
Songs: Marco D’Agostin, Luca Scapellato
Scenes: Paola Villani, Bots Conspiracy
Lighting: Paolo Tizianel
Costumes: Gianluca Sbicca
With a scene written by: Pier Lorenzo Pisano
Creation assistance: Lucia Sauro
Research process shared with: Chiara Bersani, Sara Bonaventura, Nicola Borghesi, Damien Modolo, Lisa Ferlazzo Natoli
Movement coach: Marta Ciappina
Repertoire dances: Giulio Santolini, Stefano Bontempi
Vocal training: Francesca Della Monica
Scientific consultants: Enrico Sortino
Development and promotion: Damien Modolo
Organisation and administration: Eleonora Cavallo, Federica Giuliano, Irene Maiolin

 

A production of: VAN

In co-production with: Piccolo Teatro di Milano - Teatro d’Europa; Théâtre de la Ville, Paris; Teatri di Pistoia; Pôle-Sud CDCN Strasbourg; Festival Aperto / Fondazione I Teatri - Reggio Emilia; Snaporazverein

With the support of: CCN Ballet de l’Opéra national du Rhin; Centro Nazionale di Produzione della Danza Virgilio Sieni Firenze; AMAT and Civitanova Danza, La Contrada, Teatro Stabile di Trieste; Grand Studio, Bruxelles; Scenario Pubblico, Catania; CSC/Centro per la Scena Contemporanea (Bassano del Grappa); Fondazione Teatro Comunale Città di Vicenza; Centrale Fies; Teatro Stabile dell’Umbria; Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Oslo/MiC-Direzione Generale Spettacolo e Sprang / Ål kulturhus; ATCL / Spazio Rossellini