After a year of workshops, internships and shows in Sicily that have contributed to build a veritable cultural bridge between the Valley of the Temples and New Jersey, the Greek gods now also speak English! Their first American appearance was offered by an ensemble of talented Musical Theatre and Voice students of our campus, thanks to the impressive translation of one of the 2025 interns, Brianna Coppolino. A truly magical evening that gave the audience moments of introspection and emotion as they listened to the gods interrogating human beings about each others’ fate, with both humor and depth.

Video by Colin Keys

The musical, vocal and choral direction was entrusted to David Fraley of the Cali School of Music, joined by Marco Savatteri as visiting director. In five intense days of workshops, Savatteri guided a cast of sixteen students in understanding and interpreting the roles of classical myth, demonstrating how ancient themes can still be close to the sensitivity of generation Z. The cast included:��Grant Anderson (Poseidon), Eoin Betancourt (Dionysus), Elizabeth Caldon (Echo), Brianna Coppolino (Trojan mother, Hera), DJ DeJesus (Faun, Perseus), Zack Dooley (Orpheus), Madison Fair (Cassandra), Mia Grizzuti (Anake), Noelle Hammond (Bacchante), Lorenzo Hilliard (Narcissus, Apollo), Elizabeth Johnson (Aphrodite, Medusa), Jaxson Louhisdon (Hephaestus), Esther Olmo (Demeter), Desirae Powell (Athena), Diogo Ramirez (Ares), Tishaun Turner (Hermes).

led the workshop with his assistant Toti Maria Geraci, who wondrously turned into a white faun just moments before the show, and started hopping on and off the stage. Other members of the Savatteri company — Davide Maria Incandela, Giulia Tarantino, and Matteo Valentini — traveled to Montclair on a separate independent program. In the course of the week, they supported the American students in studying the libretto, accompanying them as their alter egos until the performance on stage. The elegant Leshowitz Auditorium of the Cali School of Music was enriched by select projected images of the musical in Agrigento, immersing the audience in the splendor of the temples and the Mediterranean landscape of Agrigento. In the audience, students, teachers, musicians and local residents experienced ancient and, at the same time, surprisingly contemporary theatre.

A CULTURAL BRIDGE BETWEEN SICILY AND THE USA

The project was born in 2024 during Marco Savatteri’s visit to the U.S., when Prof. Fiore (Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies in the Italian Program) started a conversation with Prof. Lori McCann�� (Voice) and Prof. Ryan Kasprzak�� (Musical Theatre), two programs of excellence in the College of the Arts, where the internationalization of the curriculum is encouraged.

The objective of the project is to create a two-way exchange: to offer American students an international professional experience in an island rich in history, art, and natural beauty and to promote the Italian language and culture on campus. In the last two years, Savatteri has conducted workshops on immersive theater and “The Reawakening of the Gods,” while some students have participated in internships in Agrigento at Savatteri Produzioni. The Italian part of the project began with the summer 2025 internship of three Opera and Musical students — Mia Grizzuti, Emma Mason and Brianna Coppolino — who lived for two months in Agrigento spending their time in rehearsals, performances and tours of the area.

THE ENGLISH LIBRETTO

Besides an insightful exchange with the translator on stage, the performance was followed by a conversation with Mia Grizzuti, 2025 intern, who described the unique characteristics of performing in the musical in an archeological site and the transformative experience of being part of a different, yet familiar, culture for two months. And a few days before the performance Marco Savatteri, Prof. Fiore and Prof. McCann were interviewed about the project on ����vlog’s WMSC FM 90.3 radio, as part of an original program presented in an Italian café, Caffè Classico ().

FUTURE HORIZONS

After the success of the reading, the project now focuses on the 2026 edition internship with Tishaun Turner and Lorenzo Hilliard as interns, within a collaboration with Nexo Sicilia on logistics. Future prospects include an international production of “The Reawakening of the Gods,” in partnership with ����vlog, the Valley of the Temples Park and Savatteri Produzioni, combining classical tradition and contemporary innovation. A collaboration with the Center for Holistic Integration of the NYC College of Technology (City University of New York) for an immersive staging of the Temples abroad would bring visibility to the UNESCO site thanks to sophisticated visual projection, thus bringing the ancient myths into the present in ever new and modern forms.

This multi-part project entails an inter-college and international collaboration between ����vlog (Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies, Musical Theatre Program, the Cali School of Music) and , a musical theater company based in Italy. The related internship involves the��Office of International Academic Initiatives at ����vlog, Nexo Sicilia for logistical aspects in Agrigento, and the .

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Related events:

• March 2025: A workshop and auditions with Marco Savatteri
• Summer 2025 Paid internship program: Three MSU students perform in a musical in Sicily
• October 2025: Workshop and presentation about Summer 2025 internship (with Marco Savatteri and Toti Maria Geraci)��
• March 2026: Public Reading in English of The Reawakening of the Gods
• Summer 2026 Paid Internship in Sicily (read news story about 2026 interns)

Media coverage:

(28 aprile 2026)

(29 aprile 2026)

(28 aprile 2026)

The Ecocultures of the Scala dei Turchi is a digital and environmental humanities research project that offers alternative paths to experience the iconic “Turkish Steps” geological formation in the Province of Agrigento in Sicily. Co-conceived and co-realized by Prof. Vetri Nathan (UCLA) and Prof. Teresa Fiore (����vlog), the project is based on Prof. Nathan’s research on the co-existence of various species and forms of life (vegetable, animal, human, mineral, etc.) in his Multispecies Futures Lab at UCLA. This event will officially unveil the project for North American audiences and feature a lively conversation among the various researchers involved.

Speakers:

• Dr. , Associate Professor, European Languages and Transcultural Studies, UCLA, Lab Founder and Director -Multispecies Futures Lab
• Dr. Teresa Fiore, Professor of Italian and Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies, ����vlog
• Dr. , Lecturer and Project Scientist, Digital Humanities Program, UCLA
• , Research Assistant
• , Project Digital Tech Research Assistant

Originally launched as part of the project, within the initiative Agrigento Capitale della Cultura 2025, the project is hosted on an ArcGIS platform and has been supported by an inter-university partnership (UCLA and ����vlog) and local entities, including the Comune di Realmonte and the Polo Universitario Territoriale di Agrigento, Università di Palermo. This specific event is sponsored by:

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Given the goal of this original radio program, which literally brings our students and equipment to the nearby community to connect with local listeners and boost MSU engagement off campus, WMSC chose an Italian spot, in Pompton, NJ. The interviewer, Allen Macaraeg, addressed questions to Prof. Teresa Fiore (Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies, Italian program, CHSS), Prof. Lori McCaan (Voice Program Cali School, CART) and our special guest from Agrigento, in the region of Sicily, composer and director , to explore the different aspects of this exciting multi-phase initiative.

In the course of a lively exchange with Allen, Fiore explained the history of the project, born from Savatteri’s first visit on campus in Nov. 2024, and unfolding through three workshops with our students, a two-month summer internship in Sicily for three Opera and Musical Theatre students in 2025, and the March 27, 2026 Public Reading bringing together members of the Savatteri company and MSU students. McCann, also on behalf of Prof. Ryan Kasprzak (Musical Theatre, CART) highlighted the importance of the internationalization of the curriculum for Montclair State students in the Performing Arts, especially those in Opera and Musical Theatre: Italian constitutes a key language for their training and career opportunities.

Savatteri commented on the ancient and yet incredibly contemporary content of a musical that carries the timeless lessons of classical mythology. Precisely because of this eternal quality, Savatteri was excited to bring the musical from the UNESCO World Heritage site The Valley of the Temples of Agrigento – where the show is presented in front of the 5^th-century BC Tempio della Concordia – to the United States and have it speak English, thanks to the translation of the 2025 intern and Opera student, Brianna Coppolino. Her precise and poetic version was completed under the supervision of Prof. Trubiano (Italian program) and encapsulates the type of translation of knowledge, talent, experience, languages and cultures that the overall initiative activates in three departments (Musical Theatre, Voice at the Cali School of Music, and Italian), two colleges (CART and CHSS), two kind of entities (public university and private company ) and effectively locations in two continents, Montclair (USA) and Agrigento (Italy).

Sponsored by the Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies, in collaboration with the Cali School of Music, the , , and , this international intercollege initiative reflects the Expand Reach and Amplify Impact commitment of ����vlog’s mission: “Increase global engagement by creating international experiences, broadening access to Montclair programs and promoting a global mindset.”

Special thanks to Communications and Media major, Allen Macaraeg, and his team of students from the award-nominated WMSC radio, supervised by Annabella Poland, who joined at Cafè classico for a cappuccino. And a special “grazie” to the owners of Caffe classico for their hospitality and generosity. It’s always nice to find arancine and cannoli on the other side of the Atlantic after a long flight from Sicily!

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After auditions held in March, two students were granted a scholarship to fund a two-month stay in Agrigento, rehearsing and performing with the Savatteri Produzioni company: Mia Grizzuti is a major in Musical Theatre (CART) and Brianna Coppolino is a Master’s student in Voice, Cali School of Music — they are both taking classes in the Italian Program. In love with the idea of performing in the magical Valley of the Greek Temples (), Emma Mason decided to participate through direct funding from Savatteri Produzioni, after her graduation (BA in Voice, Cali School).

Mia Grizzuti, Emma Mason, and Brianna Coppolino

Read about: BRIANNA’S EXPERIENCE�� �� MIA’S EXPERIENCE �� EMMA’S EXPERIENCE

The students have also been invited to take part in other shows regularly presented by the Savatteri company (Bianca Lancia, a musical about Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II’s legendary lover; and Scopri il teatro, an interactive show about the history of Agrigento’s Teatro Pirandello), but also new productions including in the opera genre, in which Marco Savatteri moved his first yet very convincing steps (Mascagni’s��Cavalleria Rusticana presented in Enna and at the breathtaking Teatro Classico of Taormina in mid-August).

Video: Footage and editing by Colin Keyes

️“This program has changed us as artists, students, and people: adaptability, cultural and linguistic enrichment, challenges and creative answers, as well as the pleasure of a slow pace of life in Agrigento, are part of this extraordinary experience – stated the three students, visibly moved. “Performing in front of the Temple of Concordia with our voices echoing through the columns dating back to the 5th century BCE was an exhilarating feeling.” This emotional and professional journey reached its most intense expression when Mia and Brianna were assigned the solo part at the end of two separate show, and beautifully interpreted the role of Fate.

Lori McCann, Brianna Coppolino, Emma Mason, Mia Grizzuti, Teresa Fiore, and Marco Savatteri

“This program serves as an ideal model of collaboration between academia and the world of musical theater, between faraway places working closely together such as Agrigento and Montclair, between artists who speak different languages and share knowledge, giving voice to a show imbued with ancient yet still very topical stories that explore the relationship between humans and gods. We make joint decisions to lead this program, attending to the affective dimension, and seeing in it a sacred experience: an example of peaceful sharing in a world increasingly permeated by conflicts” – said Prof. Teresa Fiore (Inserra Chair, WLC Dept., CHSS), Professor Lori McCann (Voice, Cali School, CART), and , who have woven together this international summer program along with Ryan Kasprzak (Head of the Musical Theatre Program),��in collaboration with the Office of International Academic Initiatives at ����vlog.

An infinite thank you to Mr. Inserra for his great generosity, to Maestro Savatteri with his tireless genius and sensitivity, to Savatteri Produzioni for the precious logistical support, to the company for the warm welcome, to Ente Parco della Valle dei Templi, and to Agrigento Italian Capital of Culture 2025.

Photo credits: Elena Dibattista and Irene Zunardi.
Program description: click here
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The contest was open to ����vlog students of all disciplines along with high school students in New Jersey. Both groups responded enthusiastically with a variety of audiovisual works celebrating the artistic and cultural beauty of Italy and the efforts of UNESCO in protecting this unique cultural and natural heritage (Italy has the largest number of UNESCO sites n the world). A jury of professors and experts in filmmaking, Claudio Napoli, Massimo Mascolo, Lisa Raven, and Beverly Peterson, selected the winners after careful consideration of the works submitted.

Emma Rush (major in Italian and International Justice) is the winner for the MSU category, with an insightful work on Arab-Norman monuments of Palermo, Monreale and Cefalu’, recently declared world patrimony by UNESCO. Her work utilizes an innovative tool to combine images with narrative, and emphasizes how these sites exemplify cultural diversity in artistic creativity. This is especially topical at a time of increasing multiculturalism in Italy.

“Persi in Verona” is the title of the winning video for the High School category, created by a team of young students of Italian, Chloe Serena, Greyson Gerdts, Alexander Fulchini, and Gianmarco Calzone, taking a AP Italian class at James Caldwell High School taught by Lisa Manfre`. The script reveals a fresh quality — it is in Italian and adopts a basic “greenback” technique to creatively simulate the experience of visiting a UNESCO site like the city of Verona as students of Italian.��

Special mentions were given in both categories to Oscar Guevara Perez, Italian minor at MSU, for his commented slideshow on the UNESCO site of the Amalfi Coast, and to Luca Celentano, Cresskill High School, for the video��“Ferrara: City of the Renaissance and its Po Delta.”

The winners will be awarded their prizes ranging from a round trip airfare NYC-Italy to Cinecittà gadgets, Eataly food items and Rizzoli books (details available ) during a .