Myths and legends have been passed down through the ages by oral stories. These stories have then been taken by artists, actors and re-created in countless motifs, plays, and paintings.

Back in 2021, 5 actors got together to re-tell some of these myths and legends and the Hades and Persephone project was re born at The Drayton Arms Theatre under the direction of Mariagrazia La Fauci founder of Trianacia Theatre. The 3 day show was met with great acclaim and won Best Play in 2022 by Scene Saver.

The revised John Chapman had this to say:

"This is a highly stylised piece of drama which goes back to basics with the primary act of telling stories. It relies heavily on the acting technique of the five strong cast all of whom give a sense of full commitment to their work and who employ their bodies as the principal tool to get their message across. They make ingenious use of a box, some strips of cloth and pieces of cord to delineate settings; one moment they are riding horses, the next they are on a ship skimming across the water. It is all beautifully done and quite mesmeric."

This summer the project will take on a new life and return to its origins: Sicily. Trianacia theatre is looking to invite our actors back to create an immersive experience that will see the local community getting involved.

This is where you come in! We need your help to support this project and are asking for any donations possible to help support the project.

Trinacria is a small company with aplenty of motivation and with a great potential of creativity.While we have raised funds to cover accommodation and rehearsal space we are still seeking some further funding for associated expenses related to production logistics.

No artist is really free if they have to worry about finances, and it would be extremely sad if the project had to get halted or if such a close-knit creative team had to regroup because the artists would not be able to afford it.

We support an equitable and free theatre and a fair compensation for the artists is quintessential to it. We are determined to raise funds and we would be eternally grateful if you could contribute to our mission.

We want to bring great joy and make a difference in a community where art and theatre are not a common form of expression as well as integration is far from being granted. These stories must be heard!

Your donations will go towards building stronger theatre ties with the local community , as well as bringing actors from the MENASA region to work to bring theatre to a region that’s been telling oral stories for centuries.

We are asking for £2000, every cent of which will be put to use. Here is the breakdown:

Average round trip from London to Catania : £400 x 5 = £2,000

Meet the team:

Samuel Adebayo- is a Nigerian-British free-lance artist and movement practitioner from London. He graduated LAMDA in 2019 where he received a qualification in BA HONS in Professional Acting through the Laurence Olivier Bursary Clothworkers Foundation Scholarship. He has worked with some brilliant theatre companies such as Frantic Assembly and Lyric Young Company in the past. Since graduating, he has been worked in Television, Radio and some feature length film projects.

Sanda Bourenane- Having lived between the UK, France, and Canada, Sanda Bourenane decided to pursue her acting studies in Paris soon after taking on the part of Sabine in the Canadian feature film, Romeo Eleven, directed by Ivan Grbovic. After being admitted into the Classe Libre program of the Cours Florent in Paris in 2015, she moved to London in 2017 and attended LAMDA , from which she graduated in 2019.

Alex Kais-is a Canadian-born actor who is half Lebanese and half Jordanian. He has a passion for singing and acting and loves bringing art to life through the world of theatre. Alex graduated from Associated Studios in 2019, and recently made his professional debut in the new musical Broken Wings about the life of Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran in 2022. This year he was also an assistant producer on Guy Manoukian's London show at Her Majesty's Theatre, and assistant producer on Rumi the musical in Qatar. He also volunteers his time as the sponsorship co-ordinator for the Black British Theatre Awards.

Marco Nanetti- is a pedagogue, a creative, and an award-winning actor based in London. He has a solid preparation in classical Commedia dell'Arte, bouffoning, clowning and devising techniques. He completed the Lecoq Pedagogic Journey on movement theatre at Helikos International School, which incredibly deepened and refined his understanding of space and movement. He practices capoeira regularly and is a certified Gyrokinesis trainer.

Olivia Skoog- Olivia is a Swedish actor who trained at LAMDA. She has been working professionally for both film, tv and stage around Europe. Currently appearing in the show "Girl in the mirror" in Malmö, Sweden. Olivia traveled with Trinacria Theatre Company to Sicily for the residency in 2019.