Dentro - Elsa Amiel

In a high-security prison in Tuscany, inmates create a baroque and flamboyant theatre.

Since 1988, men serving long sentences in Volterra have rehearsed, read and performed under the direction of Armando Punzo. Born in prison, the Compagnia della Fortezza has become one of Italy’s most singular theatre companies, earning a Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale.

Elsa Amiel takes us into their rehearsal room, onto the stage and on tour, staying close to the collective work of bodies, voices and imagination. Texts are read, repeated and reworked until images emerge. From words, a powerful theatre takes shape, where tragedy surfaces and blood and sweat mingle with light.