Detail from Piktors Verwandlungen © Hermann Hesse-Editionsarchiv, Offenbach am Main
Community Theatre – Montagnola takes the stage
Sunday 17 May 2026 · Museo Hermann Hesse Montagnola
With the participatory theatre project #TeatroDiffusoHesse2026, the Museo Hermann Hesse Montagnola presents an experiment: bringing the fairy tale Vogel (1933) – a little-known work by the poet Hermann Hesse – into public space in the form of community theatre. Local residents transform Piazza Brocchi, Torre Camuzzi, the narrow alleys, and hidden corners of the village into a vibrant narrative landscape.
Hesse wrote Vogel for his wife Ninon Hesse, a poetic tribute to the “Monday village,” as he affectionately called Montagnola. Today, the inhabitants of Collina d’Oro breathe new life into this nearly century-old story: young and old, long-time residents and newcomers alike become storytellers together. The performance asks: what does Hesse’s fairy tale tell us today? Themes such as community and alienation, preservation and change, and the tension between tradition and renewal are reinterpreted and translated into the present.
Diffuse Theatre has no fixed stage: the audience moves from one location to another, experiencing firsthand the fusion of literature, everyday life, and community – an engaging theatrical journey that connects and unites.
A project curated by Veronica Carmine, directed by Giacomo Agosti.
With the support of:
