Inserra Chair Presents a Bilingual Evening with Italian Artists and Montclair Students Performing the Greek Ancient Myths

Ancient Greek gods and goddesses bedecked in white paint performed excerpts from acclaimed Italian director Marco Savatteri’s viral show “The Reawakening of the Gods/Il risveglio degli dei" – for the first time in both English and Italian - at Montclair State University as part of an international project supported by the Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies. Artists from the Savatteri company from Agrigento (region of Sicily, Italy) sang in English thanks to the translations of Montclair State University graduate Brianna Coppolino, while students of Musical Theater, Vocal Performance, and Italian sang in Italian thanks to an internship created by Prof. Teresa Fiore that since 2024 has taken them to this Southern town on the Mediterranean known for its breathtaking UNESCO archeological site.

This event represented another milestone in a multi-year project co-designed by Prof. Fiore and director and composer Marco Savatteri around the musical Il Risveglio degli dei/The Reawakening of the Gods, that has so far entailed a rich sequence of engagements aimed at internationalizing the student experience both on campus and abroad, giving visibility to Montclair State University across the ocean, and securing a long-standing partnership with a foreign company of global fame on social media. The inter-college collaboration between the Italian program (CHSS) and the Performing Arts program (CART) has also benefitted substantially from the integral involvement of Prof. Lori McCann and Prof. Ryan Kasprzak. Workshops and auditions have identified students interested in participating in a show that takes place every summer for a limited number of engagements at the site of the astonishingly well-preserved Valley of Temples in Agrigento, that dates back to the 5th century BCE.  

Prof. Fiore and director Savatteri spoke about this fruitful collaboration, as part of a broader conversation about his professional path as a composer, writer, and director who has effectively created a musical theater culture in Agrigento. His immersive shows set in archaeological sites, museums, city streets, and trains have been inspired by the myths of Ancient Greece, as well as the father of modern theater, Nobel Prize-winner Luigi Pirandello, a native of Agrigento. This lively exchange alternated between Italian and English, with images of the magnificent Greek temples of Agrigento serving as a visual backdrop. 

Following this, student performers from the 2025 and 2026 editions of the show relayed stories of their experience abroad: for some, the internship was the dream of a lifetime, i.e., to sing on an international stage; for others, the chance to learn more about the place their ancestors came from, or the chance to learn about a different world, or the possibility to translate a script in verse. Agrigento became home for them for two months of intense rehearsals, shows that reached a total of 10,000 spectators, swims in the Mediterranean, visits to medieval monuments, beach parties with the Savatteri company and their friends, and many pleasant dinners “al fresco” (except when it was too hot!). 

Now all reunited on the U.S. side of the ocean, they presented a distilled version of the show featuring a selection of the most popular songs from the soundtrack: the rap “La ballata del fauno” interpreted by Toti Maria Geraci with Emma Mason (Voice Major, class 2025) as a nymph; “Peccato” sung by Ilaria Conte (Aphrodite) and Giulia Tarantino (Athena); “Il Fato/The Fate” presented in an Italian-English version by Brianna Coppolino (Cali School) and Mia Grizzuti (BFA Musical Theatre, class 2026); “Dafne e Apollo” performed in Italian by Ilaria Conte and Gioele Incandela; and the duet “Eco e Narciso/Echo and Narcissus” presented by Lizzie Caldon first in Italian and then in English, the latter with Lorenzo Hilliard (BFA, Musical Theatre and Italian minor). The opening included excerpts from the narration delivered by Cassandra (Madison Fair, BFA Musical Theatre), while the grand finale, “The Symposium of the Gods,” brought everyone together, including students who performed in this show in costume for the first time: Grant Anderson (MA, Vocal Performance); Tishaun Turner (BFA, Musical Theatre), and Noelle Hammond (BFA, Musical Theatre). The virality of these popular songs and Il risveglio in general has manifested itself in people from New Zealand, Poland, Greece, and China, to name a few locations, whistling the tunes in their cars on the way to work, performing the songs in a myriad collection of languages, and illustrating the show in drawings, painting, and even tattoos, not to mention the millions of views and likes on social media.    

No wonder that, despite the rainy day, some people even drove three hours from Pennsylvania. Some flew in from further away states like Michigan. Comments have poured in on social media: “Now that I have graduated from Montclair State, they bring this magical show to campus!” jokingly quipped a former student, while dozens stated that the show was “tremendous,” “amazing,” and “marvelous.” 

The show’s powerful visual impact with costumes designed by Valentina Pollicino is deeply intertwined with its message, which at a time of tragic conflicts, natural disasters, and ideological polarizations, invites us to a sphere of self-reflection. Through its depictions of Ancient Greek gods and goddesses, who in some way mirror humanity with its virtues and vices, the show asks us to reawaken to the ideals, to the possibilities, represented by them. 

As part of her opening remarks, Amy Thompson, Dean of CHSS (College of the Humanities and Social Sciences) underlined how "the evening captured some essential aspects of the college: the intersection of classical myth, modern storytelling, and international collaboration, as well as the centrality of translation, cross-disciplinary work, and internships abroad" administered by our Office of International Academic Initiatives. 

The day of the show was also devoted to a workshop led by Savatteri and a member of his company, Chiara Sardo (Baccante), that functioned as an audition for the Summer 2027 internship (a separate workshop was offered to Theatre Studies students by Marco and his company on Oct. 9th) and attracted a new generation of students excited to go to Agrigento.

 “Creating a bridge across the ocean for two years with this internship has been a uniquely rewarding experience,” commented Prof. Teresa Fiore. “Our students are transformed by the language and cultural experience, while they continue to grow as artists in a top-notch professional environment that also exposes them to a slower, and as such more meaningful, pace of life. We are very fortunate to be able to rely on the generosity of our donor Mr. Inserra to offer this opportunity to our committed and curious students, but also to a company that has proven to be so welcoming and stimulating for the students."

“For me, working with a university that has a U.S. national standing in Musical Theater is a true privilege," Savatteri concluded. "The partnership with students, faculty, and administrators at Montclair has provided an international dimension to my company and the show, but also a new way of working across disciplines and institutions. I look forward to further forms of collaboration with a campus so supportive of the performing arts. We await all of you this summer in Agrigento to get a glimpse of the students in action with my company for another season of Il Risveglio!”