Elena Franconi:
A Life to Live To the Fullest
Interview by Maria Teresa De Donato
Dear friends,
Today I'd like to
introduce you to Elena Franconi, a theater actress and playwright who
leads theatrical workshops for children and adults.
We've previously discussed theater on this Blog and in Virtual Cultural
Salon. Still, as we'll see, Elena's work is very unique: it draws inspiration
from the philosophy of Professor Stefano Mancuso—an Italian
neuroscientist and essayist, and Professor of General Arboriculture and Plant
Ethology at the University of Florence—as well as the gentle language of poets
such as Chandra Candiani and Mariangela Gualtieri.
You are all invited to
continue reading this article to learn more not only about Elena, but also, and
above all, about her theater work and the goals she aims to achieve through it.
MTDD: Hello Elena, and
welcome to this cultural salon of mine. It's a pleasure to have you as my guest.
EF: It's a pleasure to be your guest, Maria Teresa.
MTDD: Before speaking about your theatrical activity, Would you
like to briefly introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a little about
yourself?
EF: Yes, of course, it’s a pleasure. I'm a woman, an adult,
autonomous, and independent. I'm also very distracted and playful. I have two
grown children, Walter, 34, and Giulia, 29, who are my treasures and of whom
I'm very proud. I've always had a great interest in civic engagement, which is
why, while in search of a job that would guarantee me a specific financial
stability, I studied, entered public competitions, and began working in public
administration. This allowed me to actively participate in the common good
actively, organizing and providing public services for all. At the same time, I
threw myself headlong into the study of the performing arts and writing, and
for over 25 years I've been performing and writing for the theater. My life
unfolds along two parallel lines that share a common thread: civic and social
engagement, as well as caring.
MTDD: Would you like to
tell us about your theatrical production?
EF: As you mentioned, I'm an author and actress. Some of my shows,
in addition to being performed in various theaters, have been performed in
alternative venues. For example, "A Steady Job Wanted," a show
addressing workplace stability, was performed in a tannery and conference
rooms. "68x15 A Matter of Conscience," a show about '68 and
the collective and individual awakening of consciousness, and "Pulsatilla,"
a monologue about the relationship between a mother and her teenage daughter,
have also been performed in schools. "Moi pour Toi," about the
life of Edith Piaf, was performed for the Ex-it danza T company in Livorno. "Whatever
The Cost," a performance by the Paese Novo district of Pomarance, was
performed at the 47th edition of the Palio di Pomarance.
MTDD: I'd like to thank you for the videos you sent me. They helped
me better understand your work and its goals. I would describe your theatrical
performances in Nature as highly symbolic, evocative, and engaging.
Would you agree?
EF: You're talking about ART: in teATRo e in naTuRa, the theatrical
research and experimentation laboratory in Nature, founded in 2021, when being
with people indoors was highly complicated and Nature was a place full of life
and possibilities—my passion. I began holding theater workshops in the woods
and meadows, engaging all the senses through active listening and observing the
plant and animal world to discover their differences and similarities with
humanity, as well as the richness of sounds, smells, and transformations. The
same place can completely change its appearance from one week to the next, and
each time, the landscape is highly evocative and captivating, offering ever-new
ideas for the workshop, research, and an inclusive and immersive experience in
Nature.
MTDD: While watching your
videos, I took note of some lines recited by the actors and actresses or
commented on by you as a voiceover. Taking this opportunity, I'd like to delve
deeper, starting with the following:
"The lake... its
stillness is not stagnation... but waiting...
Its waters are like a
mirror... It's like the mind...
Outside of here...
everything is fast...
Outside of here... it's
all noise..."
EF: The texts accompany the performers' actions or the suggestions
of the environment; they're like captions to a painting. Some are taken from
books, like the first two lines you quoted, which are mentioned in the
publication "You Will Find More In the Woods" by Francesco Boer.
I wrote the other two lines at the end of the performance to remind all of us
of what happens outside the woods, outside the experience that has just ended.
In Nature, there is silence, slowness, listening; outside of here, however,
everything is fast, all is noisy.
MTDD: Theatrical texts are significant and metaphorical, and even the
movements and clothing play a crucial role as they take us all back in time,
seemingly to the era of Celtic rites, and in any case to an era in which Man
and Nature were one, inseparable and indispensable—a union that, especially in
recent decades, seems to have been lost.
Considering that the color white has a specific meaning in every
culture, What meaning did you attribute to it in using it in the video shot in
the woods?
EF: Thank you, Maria Teresa, for your kind words. I'm so happy
you're getting all these suggestions; in fact, there's no precise answer;
everyone sees and feels based on their knowledge, experience, and
sensibilities. Regarding the color white, my answer might surprise you for its
simplicity: amidst all that green, white stands out; it's a point of
attraction. The eye easily locates and follows the performer, and white has no
particular connotation, leaving room for imagination. I'll let you in on a
secret: over the years, white has become the color of ART: in the theater and
Nature. We always dress in white, cream, or similar shades.
MTDD: The second video I watched, filmed in Treggiaia, in the garden
of an ancient church surrounded by the breathtaking landscape of your beautiful
land, the narrator says:
"All around there
is such an abundance of greenery that it would bring peace to the most damned
heart. ..."
As a Naturopath, I fully agree with this thought and believe
that many problems, not only physical, but also and above all psychological and
mental, can arise precisely from the estrangement that has existed between
Human Beings and Nature and from our consequent immersion in a highly
materialistic and consumerist society that has alienated many people. This
would lead to a much broader discussion that should include not only health and
well-being, but also sociological and psychological aspects.
To stick to our topic, let's focus on aspects related to Health
and Well-Being and the vision of Nature not as a "stepmother," as
Giacomo Leopardi saw it, but rather as a "mother" who loves us,
protects us, and communicates with us in her way. It's up to us to rediscover
and grasp its meaning.
EF: Being in Nature is good for us. Standing before a green meadow
full of daisies, an olive grove, or a chestnut forest, we take a deep breath
and release tension. It's not just me saying it; we all experience it, and now
science is saying it too. You're undoubtedly aware of the research being
conducted by the CNR (National Research Center) on forest therapies (forest
bathing), on the beneficial effects of spending hours immersed in fir or beech
forests. And these benefits aren't just for reducing stress and anxiety, which
is no small thing, but also for the respiratory, cardiovascular, and immune
systems. Plants release volatile substances, such as monoterpenes, which have
antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that we inhale, thereby
improving our health. Human-built habitats, made of concrete, asphalt, and
gray, have uprooted us from Nature. We have forgotten that WE ARE NATURE, we
are not separate, we are not aliens but part of the whole, and by reconnecting,
we can find peace and answers to our doubts and fears.
MTDD: Modernity,
materialism, and excessive consumerism have alienated us so much that many of
us can no longer see Nature as a Living Being. They have sadly and
paradoxically relegated it to the role of a "Thing," an everyday
object to be used and abused at will.
Some lines recited in your second video are worth analyzing
because they can help readers become aware of a completely different
"vegetal" reality:
"When trees are wounded, they shed tears..."
Nature can be trusted, "but it takes patience and an
open heart."
Would you like to
elaborate on these concepts?
EF: Trees, like us, are equipped with all five senses, and beyond
that, they have about fifteen more. They have different ways of expressing them
than we do. For example, plants' "smells" are like our words. Through their smells, they
communicate with each other, sending messages of danger and attraction. We're
unable to understand many of their meanings, but that doesn't mean they don't
express themselves, that they don't feel love, pain, hunger, the need for
light, and so on. The fact that they're so different from us doesn't make them
worse. Indeed, considering the multitude of plants on earth, and considering
that in Nature, the fittest doesn't win, but rather the best, and that it's quantity
that determines who's most fitting, we can affirm that they are by far worth
taking as an example and not treating them as insignificant beings. We can
learn a lot from them: how to connect, how to be with ourselves, how to care
for one another, how to listen, how to give space, how to redefine priorities.
However, it requires patience, an open heart, and the willingness to
learn another language.
MTDD: Your third video,
which, like the previous ones, summarizes what ART, your laboratory of
theatrical research and experimentation in Nature, represents, encourages
introspection and self-analysis.
I found the following messages particularly significant:
"It's hard to feel different... Yet it's sadder to
conform..."
"What aspects of plants can inspire different
perspectives and different human and social attitudes?"
Going against the grain
has never been easy, yet every actual change has come about precisely thanks to
someone who dared to act 'differently', standing out from the crowd.
There's a lot to say on
these points.
EF: The video you're referring to was the first recollection of an
ART workshop. It was 2022, a workshop that began in the spring and ended in
early July. The longest, lasting four months. A magical experience that kicked
it all off, and which I lived with so much enthusiasm on the one hand and so
much fear of failure on the other, of doing something so different and
incomprehensible that it wouldn't be appreciated and welcomed by people. I
remember the Saturday we arrived after a lovely walk to the spot where we
usually held the workshop. It was spring, and that day, the pollen swirled in
the air like a whirlwind of white wool; it looked like snow was falling. We
were all so excited and captivated, and we started dancing. We and Nature, in
one motion through space and time. Beautiful! I realized that, for that alone,
it was worth doing; I didn't have to worry about the audience's judgment, but
about the active and shared participation of the performers (obviously, in
spring, those with allergies are not allowed to participate in the workshops).
Diversity is a fundamental element of ART. Plants are profoundly
different from us, biologically speaking. They are sessile, rooted beings; we
are nomads, constantly on the move. They can't move, but we can (and we
struggle to stay still). If we learned from them that they are so different
from us, perhaps we would be able to view the diversity between ethnic groups,
peoples, and cultures as an opportunity for exchange and knowledge, rather than
as a threat to defend ourselves from.
MTDD: "We flee from the shadows... in search of the
light..." and "Anchored in the earth, we listen to our most
microscopic internal movements. No one gives orders. Everything acts in
resonance" are both meaningful statements.
Do we want to explore these concepts further so that our readers
are not only left with a positive message, but also one that encourages them to
become more aware and make a U-turn when needed?
EF: Light is the primary source of energy for plants. It is
nourishment. It is life. Have you seen how the tree trunks shoot upward toward
the sky? They don't do it to compete but to feed and grow. Roots, on the other
hand, shun this and live underground, invisible to the naked eye. Roots travel
underground in many directions and encounter one another, weaving
relationships. The underground world, currently a subject of great interest to
scientists and yet so foreign to us, opens our imagination to a sense of possibility.
The stems that rise upward, the roots that sink downward; in between, there is
sap, trunk, leaves, resins. A tree has a crown of branches, a trunk, and roots;
a human being has a head, a trunk, limbs, and skin. Metaphorically, there is a
similarity; let's try to imagine ourselves alongside them, but there is also a
huge, huge difference. Plants don't have a brain or specialized organs like
humans; they don't have lungs, nor do they have a heart. Plants have a modular
structure, consisting of many small, autonomous parts that interact with each
other; none commands the others, and none gives orders. Try to imagine a world
where all living beings communicate and make shared decisions, not waiting for
someone to decide for them. Impossible? I don't think so. Complex, yes, very
complex indeed.
MTDD: Before concluding
our interview, Elena, can you tell us how those who wish to follow or even
participate in your activities can contact you?
EF: Here are my contact details:
elenafranconi
http://www.youtube.com/@elenafranconi
elena_francon http://instagram.com/elena_francon
franconielena http://facebook.com/elena.franconi1
MTDD: Thank you, Elena, for participating in this interview and for
sharing with us the goals of your theater work and workshops you lead. Thank
you also to all the actors and actresses who took part. I hope to have you as
my guest again in the future.
EF: Thank you for this fantastic opportunity and for the
fascinating questions that have given me the chance not only to tell you, but
also to reflect further on what I do and its meaning. And every time I find
that there is meaning, and that's very important to me because I often find
little of it around me.
I'll be happy to talk to you again. Thank you again, and I wish
you the best regards and continued success. Elena
All photos in this article: Elena Franconi ©2025. All Rights Reserved.