Italian-Canadian playwright and actor Vittorio Rossi’s drama, Paradise by the River, which is about the internment of Italians in Canada after World War II, received rave reviews and has been a topic of great inspiration for the Italian-Canadian community leaders in Canada.
The play’s assistant producer, Grace Stanisci, a first generation Canadian of Italian descent, talks about Paradise by the River, the hardships that Italian-Canadians suffered during the internment, and reminds us that being Italian is not just about pasta, pizza, and soccer.
What was Vittorio Rossi’s objective when writing the play?
“I think he really just wanted the event to be told. The play really shows the Italian-Canadians’ energy when they came to this country and their will to just do the best that they could… and how a lot of this went away when Canada tagged Italians as the ‘enemy alien.’ ”
What makes Paradise by the River unique?
“Firstly, it is performed in three languages: Italian, English and French. Secondly, it is relatable to everyone and it also speaks to a lot of nationalities; it wasn’t just Italians that were persecuted after World War II, there were persecutions toward other nationalities as well.”
Can you tell us more about lead character Romano Dicenzo?
“Romano is the main character of the play who comes from Calabria looking for a chance to start his own company, which he wanted to name after himself. He buys lead and trucks, but there were big obstacles, but the end of the show...without giving anything away....is all about ‘Let’s get back to work; let’s get up on our feet, let’s have no hard feelings, no resentment, just get back to do what you love.’ It’s the strong resilience that makes him unique, and speaks about how in general Italians reacted to the event.”
The concept of the estranged family comes out vividly in Rossi’s play.
“I am Italian, and I can tell you from experience that Italian culture is a very family-oriented one! My father, for example, always used to tell me that the family is the one you identify with first and foremost. In the play we see that Romano’s wife Maria really tries to help protect the family in any way she can. Vittorio Rossi shows the Italian community in its most authentic state, and family is a core value of Italian culture.”
Who was the target audience for this play?
“Well, we’ve made this play super accessible to everybody. This play is for the Italian-Canadian community. It is for those of my generation and younger; it is for those people that saw it or lived it and feel it wasn’t done any justice.”
How long have you worked on this project?
“Our artistic producer, Alex C., started about a year ago with a grant application to The Ontario Trillium Foundation. Upon receiving the grant the project started right away, and as soon as I heard about this project I jumped [at the opportunity]. That was on May 1 and from then we’ve been working on the casting and the play, which is set to debut in November.”
If you were to write a play about Romano Dicenzo in Canada today, what are the three biggest hardships that he and the Italian community would face?
“The first is retaining the language. The second is battling the stereotypes such as anyone who is Italian is from Woodbridge or that Italians are all about pizza, pasta, and soccer. The third hardship is that we are fragmented.”
Are you hopeful for the Italian-Canadian community’s restoration and unity?
Absolutely.
Paradise by the River plays on Nov. 13 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Vaughan City Playhouse, 1000 New Westminster Dr. For tickets call 905-882-7469.
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