A PLACE OF SAFETY

Kepler-452

«If we can define A Place of Safety not only as a successful performance but even a memorable one, it is because it manages to materialize the epistemological fracture that Europe, the West, is experiencing. […] With this work, Kepler-452 takes a significant artistic leap, placing their theatrical explorations of reality within the tradition of great continental dramaturgy – from Milo Rau to Rimini Protokoll – while refining the company’s stylistic signature.»

Graziano Graziani, Minima & Moralia

«The theater this company stages in an innovative yet now recognizable way is a language of the present time. It effortlessly finds a narrative perspective in reality and in nonprofessional actors, who are also the true protagonists of the story and who self-narrate with remarkable ability to reveal themselves.»

Annalisa Camilli, Internazionale

The Italian, Bologna-based company Kepler-452 company embarks on a search and rescue ship, the Sea-Watch 5, in the Central Mediterranean to try to understand first-hand what happens on the world’s deadliest migration route. In almost five weeks of sailing, the crew rescues 156 people, who are then disembarked in the “place of safety”, the port of La Spezia. The show is the result of field research, which began with interviews by directors Enrico Baraldi and Nicola Borghesi, continued with a residency in Lampedusa and the subsequent departure for the Mediterranean route. Along the way, the artists met operators from Life Support, the EMERGENCY ship and Sea-Watch, who became the protagonists of the play, staged with Nicola Borghesi.

A Place of Safety is the story of the encounter between a theatre company and a group of people who have decided to devote part of their lives to rescue at sea, but also, and above all, a spark of attention on the collective blind spot of our Continent: what happens in the Central Mediterranean. Ultimately, it is an intimate reflection on what Europe aspires to be, what it is not, and what it could become.

UBU Award 2025-Best theatre performance
Franco Enriquez Award for dramaturgy 2025
Le Maschere del Teatro Award for best Italian new authors 2025

With captions in the Croatian language

TRAILER

IZA POZORNICE

The project is supported by the Culture Moves Europe call for proposals, funded by the European Union and the Goethe-Institut. This work is produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.

This project has been selected by Prospero NEW platform co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.

Partner mediatico / Media sponsor