SHAKESPEAROLOGY

Shakespearology

un'intervista impossibile a William Shakespeare

Jerome Salinger stated that ‘What really knocks me out is a book that, when you’re all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it’.

It has been our desire for some time now that one of our theatre productions resemble that phone call. In particular, we always wanted to call up and meet Sir William Shakespeare in the flesh, and have a chat with him about his life, what has been done with his works, and more than 400 years of his post-mortem history on and off stage. It is going to be a bit like taking Van Gogh to the Van Gogh Museum or Dante among the crowds visiting his Florentine home. We will start talking to Shakespeare about the collective imaginary. Of course, it may not be the real, authentic, original William Shakespeare – yet if we succeed in meeting at least one of the possible Shakespeares, then it would still be a breakthrough.

Shakespearology is a one-man show, a biography, a catalogue of more or less pop materials on Shakespeare. It is a hybrid theatre play that gives voice to the Bard himself, with the aim to overturn the usual roles. After centuries spent questioning his life and his works, he will finally have a chance to speak his mind, asking questions to today’s audiences.

Credits

concept and direction Sotterraneo
on stage Woody Neri
playwright Daniele Villa

lighting design Marco Santambrogio
costumes Laura Dondoli
sound design Mattia Tuliozi
technical assistance Monica Bosso

production Sotterraneo
with the financial support of Regione Toscana, Mibact
residencies Centrale Fies_art work space, CapoTrave/Kilowatt, Tram – Attodue, Teatri di Pistoia

Sotterraneo is part of the Fies Factory, associate artist at Piccolo Teatro Milano and is resident at Teatri di Pistoia

PRESS REVIEW

«Sotterraneo’s Shakespearology is an irreverent, exhilarating take on William Shakespeare and his art. It is a one-man show in the capable hands of Woody Neri, an actor with charisma and high interpretive skills. […] Shakespearology by Sotterraneo spices things up with divertissements, providing a deep insight into theatre processes and practices, which are shown live in action – dramaturgical construction, as well as how to create characters, interaction amongst actors, audience’s involvement. Theatre has always been and always will be a gamble, which is nonetheless still expected to unveil the unknown.»

Valentina De Simone, La Repubblica

«Have you ever dreamt of being face-to-face with your favorite historical figure? In this show, Sotterraneo imagine what it must be like to meet the Bard in the flesh. It does so by providing a biographical excursus on Shakespeare and dazzling reflections on what it means to work in theatre. […] In Aristophanes’ The Frogs, written centuries ago, Aeschylus is brought back from the dead to give advice to the city’s rulers on how to improve its conditions. Similarly, Sotterraneo tries to evoke “the greatest dramatist of all times” to steal his secrets on how to create such a wise and popular art form, able to reach us all without ever lacking complexity.»

Maddalena Giovannelli, Hystrio

«Shakespearology sketches out frequent, rhizomatic openings, betraying any (quiet) expectations of its conceptual core. In doing so, it proves to be a surreal mise en abyme, a divertissement which shines a light upon not just Bard’s biography, but also his immense interdisciplinary legacy. […] The show’s real purpose is hidden behind the cloak of pure entertainment – to show the mechanisms adopted to develop a dramaturgical construction, as well as how to create fully dimensional characters, direct actors, and establish a rapport with your audience.»

Alessandro Iachino, Teatro e Critica

«Woody Neri gives a firing-on-all-cylinders performance – an acting tour de force. He is sweet and angry, energetic and delicate, tracing – with ironic regret – the life of a creative genius who managed to be a poet and have fame.»

Matteo Brighenti, PAC Paneacquaculture

“Shakespearology” is therefore rather like making a direct phone call and finding the Bard himself on the other end of the line. We will encounter one or more of his many identities, while Neri displays his tireless versatility. Lesser-known aspects of Shakespeare’s personality will emerge, along with artistic inclinations never recorded by his devoted scholars and a surprising ability to engage with the art of our own time. What more could you ask for?
Rodolfo di Giammarco, La Repubblica

“An impossible interview ranging from the public to the private, from the sacred to the profane, with the Bard as an amused and amusing interlocutor, as the members of Sotterraneo bombard him with questions driven by a mixture of curiosity and mischief, and
at times even a touch of cruelty. Whatever their approach, the great Woody/Willie fires back at every turn: one moment joking and striking rock-star poses, the next picking up his guitar and launching into musical passages of profound lyricism. Throughout, he moves freely between (presumed) reality and (outright) invention, dismantling the few certainties handed down about him and occasionally disproving them with deliciously entertaining inventions.”
Roberto Canavesi, Sipario

“Shakespearology, by the Sotterraneo company, is a celebration of theatre: a virtuosic and entertaining work that brings together and conveys an extraordinary wealth of performance skills and reflections on the nature of theatre. […] Shakespearology offers us a chance to reflect on theatre as a living, vital organism, at a time when we are debating what theatre- making means in these difficult years, who it is for and how it should be made. To do so while also succeeding in entertaining the audience is one of the finest achievements to which one can aspire.”
Carlo Francesco Conti, La Stampa

SEE ALL PRESS REVIEWS

VIDEO CONTENT

Shakespearology Trailer

GALLERY

TOURING

2026

Shakespearology

Teatro Tullio Pinelli – Cuorgné
CastOro Teatro, Rimini
Teatro Bramante, Urbania
Spazio Franco, Palermo
Zō Centro Culture Contemporanee, Catania
A piedi nudi nel parco, Cremona
Torrione di Galasso, Carpi
Teatro Comunale Politeama, Marostica
Teatro Dino Buzzati, Belluno
festival deSidera, Treviglio
Lucca Teatro Festival, Lucca

2025

Shakespearology

Il Funaro – Pistoia
Teatro Carani – Sassuolo
Teatro Mac Mazzieri – Pavullo sul Frignano
Piccolo cinema teatro – Sant’Ilario d’Enza
Teatro Eleonora Duse – Genova
Teatro Roma – Castagneto Carducci
Teatro Metropolitan – Piombino
Teatro Anzani – Satriano di Lucania
Teatro Jenco – Viareggio
Parco Villa Severi – Arezzo
Teatro Filarmonico – Piove di Sacco
Cantiere26 – Arco

2024

Shakespearology

Teatro Teatro Rosaspina – Montescudo
Salone S.O.M.S.I. – Gozzano
Centro Culturale Nostradamus – Baveno
Teatro del Tiracollo – Lonato
Teatro dei Differenti – Barga
Teatro Nuovo – Pisa
Teatro Comunale – Meano
Teatro Comunale – Monastero Bormida
Salone Sant’Anna – Beinasco
Teatro Comunale – Montalto delle Marche
Teatro Sociale – Gualtieri
Beolco Fest – Cernusco Lombardone
M’Illumino di Teatro – Roma
Rassegna Talee D’Amore – Castione Andevenno

2023

Shakespearology

Teatro Secci – Terni
Galleria Toledo – Napoli
Off Topic – Torino
Teatro di Ragazzola – Ragazzola
Teatro Politeama – Poggibonsi
ArtErrante Festival – Desio
Teatro di Anghiari – Anghiari
Armonie D’Arte Festival – Catanzaro
Un palco in biblioteca Festival – Sesto Fiorentino
A levar l’ombra da terra Festival – Levate
CilentArt Festival – Lustra
Rassegna Teatrale Estiva nel parco di Villa Groggia – Venezia
Manualetto Festival – Ravenna
Teatro San Giorgio – Udine
Teatro del Cestello – Firenze
Ex-Temporaneo – Pisa

2022

Shakespearology

Sala Banti – Montemurlo
Auditorium Rita Levi Montalcini – Mirandola
Teatro Comunale Franco Tagliavini – Novellara
Teatro della Juta – Arquata Scrivia (Alessandria)
Teatro Comunale – Cassano Valcuvia (VA)
International Shakespeare Festival – Craiova (Romania)
Ginesio Fest – San Ginesio (MC)
Festival Castel dei Mondi – Andria (Bari)
Insolito Festival – Parma
Piccolo Teatro Grassi – Milano
Corto Circuito Piemonte dal Vivo, Stagione Sguardi, Pianezza (To)
S.O.M.S. – Racconigi

2021

Shakespearology

VISIONI STRAORDINARIE – Progetto LAIVin
Up to You – Scanzorosciate (BG)
L’Emilia e una notte – Corte Ospitale (Rubiera)
Teatro Archeologico – Cortona (Arezzo)
Parco La Favorita – Valdagno (VI)
Cortile Museo Maffeiano – Verona
Teatro Comunale De Filippo – Cecina
San Rocco Festival – Marina di Grosseto
Festival Asti Teatro – Asti
Festival L’ultima Luna d’Estate – Usmate Velate (MB)
Teatro Tina di Lorenzo – Noto (SR)
Teatro Bolognini – Pistoia
Theatre Center Na Strastnom – Mosca
Spazio Zut – Foligno
Teatro Studio – Scandicci
Teatro Giustiniano Villa – San Clemente (Rimini)

2020

Shakespearology

Stagione Agorà all’interno di PROGETTO SOTTERRANEO – Castel Maggiore (BO)
Teatro Piccolo Orologio – Reggio Emilia
Teatro Studio – Rovigo
Spazio HOME – Mantova
Festival Terrestri d’estate – Vicenza
Festival La Torre e la Luna – Ozzano (BO)
Estate 2020 Villa Cuturi – Massa / Fondazione Toscana Spettacolo
Giardini d’estate 2020 – Modena
Teatro Mascagni – Popiglio (PT)
Festival Insolito – Parma
L’Altra Scena – Piacenza
Spazio Rossellini – Roma

2019

Shakespearology

Kilowatt Festival – Sansepolcro (Arezzo)
Festival delle Colline Geotermiche – Pomarance (Pisa)
Festival Nuove Terre – Moneglia
Teatro dei Rassicurati – Montecarlo di Lucca
Nuovo Teatro delle Commedie – Livorno
Pistoia Teatro Festival – Pistoia
Ultimi Fuochi Festival – Otranto
Teatro Comunale Giotto – Vicchio (FI)

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SHAKESPEAROLOGY