‘Come un granello di sabbia’, the story of the Alcamo Marina Massacre, for Malta staging

‘Like a Grain of Sand’ will be performed at the Valletta Campus Theatre on 26 October

‘Come un granello di sabbia’ performed in Rome
‘Come un granello di sabbia’ performed in Rome

The Italian play ‘Come un granello di sabbia’, translated to ‘Like a Grain of Sand’ in English will be performed at the Valletta Campus Theatre on 26 October.

The play, which with feature English subtitles, tells the story of an 18-year-old Giuseppe Gulotta, a young construction worker with a life like many others. However, when Gulotta finds himself arrested, he is forced to confess to the murder of two policemen in the small 'Alkmar' barracks in the province of Trapani.

The crime hides an unspeakable mystery involving the secret service and statesmen who deal with neo-fascist groups, arms trafficking and drugs.

Gulotta lived 22 years locked up in jail for a crime he did not commit, as well as 36 years of legal hell. He never escaped. He struggled with dignity, stuck in an infernal spiral until the revision process was obtained and he was then definitely released.

‘Like a Grain of Sand’ tells the story of youth cut cut short,  the willingness of others to blame the innocent, torture, prejudice and ultimately hope.

The performance is the last chapter of the quadrilogy ‘A Sud della Memoria,’ organised by Mana Chuma, who was devoted to the contemporary history of Southern Italy. Chuma represented the Italian narration theatre at the Fête du livre et des cultures italiennes in Paris. Three of its original works were translated into French as part of the promotion of Italian dramaturgy by the Maison Antoine Vitez and presented in various forms in Paris and in Brussels. Other works have been finalists for the Ustica Theatre Award and the Riccione Award.

Chuma has also collaborated with nationally renowned artists including: Marco Baliani, Maria Maglietta, Marcello Chiarenza, Lucia Sardo, Mimmo Cuticchio, Luciano Nattino.

‘Like a Grain of Sand’ is written and directed by Salvatore Arena and Massimo Barilla.

Salvatore Arena is a director and playwright who has collaborated with important artists such as Marco Baliani. As an actor, he won the Eolo Award with the performance Per la strada, in 2006, for the best Italian performance for children as well as the Ubu Award in 2009 with the performance Pali for the best Italian innovative theatre.

Likewise Massimo Barilla is a Playwright, poet, theatre director and producer.

Together Arena and Barilla also wrote Spine in 2003 which was a finalist for the Ustica theatre award as well as La cisterna which was a finalist for the Ustica Award in 2009.

‘Like a Grain of Sand’, will also be performed in Paris on 29 October. 

For more information or to purchase tickets visit kultura.mt.