Efferent Verb Team:

Meet Fabrizio Funari, a librettist, playwright, and screenwriter who has collaborated with notable composers and performers such as Niño de Elche, Germán Alonso, and Alessandro De Rosa. He has worked with renowned international festivals including the Venice Biennale, Teatro Central de Sevilla, and Deutsche Oper Berlin. Fabrizio’s primary artistic dedication lies in creating unconventional narratives that challenge societal norms and celebrate the diverse spectrum of human relationships. He also explores immersive and interactive performing arts, pushing the boundaries of audience engagement.

Interviewer: What sources of inspiration led you to choose a career in music and lyrics from a young age?

Later I was mesmerized by the rhythmic cadence of American rappers and deeply enthralled by the empowering lyrics they interwove. As a young Italian gay kid in the early 2000s, I found solace in those lyrics and their music. Eventually, I started a big notebook, jotting down lyrics, poems, and verses that resonated with me until I found myself passionately writing and composing my own LP!

As life unfolded, I found myself fully immersed in the worlds of literature and theatre. Then, there was a particular moment that truly left a lasting impression on me – the first time I experienced a live opera performance of “The Magic Flute” at the Royal Opera House in London. It was at that moment that I realized being a spectator was not enough, and I wanted to be an active part of this sort of experience.

Interviewer: How does your experience in acting and directing influence your work as a lyricist and playwright?

Fabrizio: Acting and, to a varying degree, directing, have undeniably played a significant role in shaping my creative process. For me, crafting libretti and plays has always been an intensely visual experience. As I delve into the scenes, I vividly envision every detail, drawing from my background in acting and directing to translate these thoughts into words and dialogues that feel natural and compelling when spoken and brought to life on stage.

In my writing style, I often strive for deliberate minimalism to allow room for collaboration with directors and actors who will (re)interpret my work. This collaborative effort enriches the artistic expression and brings harmony to the final creation.

Interviewer: Can you tell us more about your education and professional experience in different cities such as London, Beijing, Madrid, and Seville?

Fabrizio: Every time I embark on a new adventure in a foreign country or city, it feels like setting out on an artistic pilgrimage. Immersed in the local arts scene, I eagerly seek like-minded artists and enthusiasts to share my passions and creations. However, for many years, my wanderlust led me to primarily focus on self-enrichment. To finance my travels and studies, I took up various random jobs, from teaching languages in Seville to managing arts projects in Rome and Barcelona, and even working as a bookseller in London. It all began when I won a one-year scholarship to study at the wonderful University College London. I found myself captivated by the city’s vibe and boundless open-mindedness. It was here that I truly immersed myself in the English language. Additionally, my time in London introduced me to an

incredibly vibrant queer and art scene, as well as antinormative (mostly LGBT) literature and art.

My journey then took me to Beijing, where I delved into Chinese poetry and researched Chinese identity politics for my dissertation.

Again, despite engaging in art-making on the side, I remained hesitant to fully embrace the “role” of an artist. Instead, I started seeking a literary connection through the art of translation and set my sights on learning Spanish, both to broaden my career prospects and to dive deeper into Spanish playwrights, particularly those of the Spanish Generation of ’27.

I went back to London where I balanced another part-time job with my studies at Goldsmiths, University of London. I would soon earn an MA in Arts Administration and work for the art-makers. In my second year, I won another scholarship that took me to Seville for a traineeship, where I worked for a Flamenco company – an experience that made me realize that managing art, just like translation, wasn’t enough. But my time in Seville blessed me with lasting friendships and my first proper opera commission which would then mark a pivotal moment of my career.

Interviewer: How do your interests in linguistics and the philosophy of language influence your creative collaboration with contemporary opera?

Fabrizio: Language, both as a means and an end in itself, holds a mesmerising allure for me. As contemporary opera breaks free from traditional molds, I believe it is vital to play with and stretch the limits of language itself. I embrace the diversity that exists within the realm of libretti, recognizing that there is no fixed formula governing its form. To connect with my audience, I find it essential to incorporate contemporary semantics, morphology, phonetics, and pragmatics into my writing. At times, specific syntax or lexemes are carefully chosen to build both the transformative arc of the character and the scene, enriching the storytelling with linguistic artistry.

Drawing from my background in linguistics, I could enhance my writing further by focusing on the phonetics and phonology of the words I use. However, these choices depend on the project, and I always aim to strike a balance between artistic experimentation and accessibility. Even when crafting more hermetic libretti, I ensure that the lack of textual comprehension is compensated by the power of music, directing, and staging, sometimes utilizing subtitles.

Interviewer: Can you explain the concept of “queer approach” in your work and how it manifests in your writing?

Fabrizio: In essence, my work aims to unapologetically celebrate diverse and anti-normative narratives and identities that enrich the human experience. While my primary focus centers on addressing identity politics related to sexual and gender experiences, I take a broader approach to encompass the representation of social, economic, political, and cultural aspects of any non-normative identities. Through infusing my librettos with themes of non-conformity, I seek to offer audiences a vibrant array of perspectives and experiences.

Unlike other creative industries, such as theater and cinema, opera appears to be crystallized in its aesthetics and preoccupied with remaking classics. This reluctance to embrace new aesthetics and narratives has resulted in a disconnection with younger audiences. To revitalize opera, there must be a shift towards commissioning new works that resonate with modern sensibilities. And I have chosen an anti-normative approach to do just that with my work.

Interviewer: In what ways does your writing reflect your “modus cogitandi” and your restructuring and reinterpreting of language?

Fabrizio: When it comes to opera, my exploration of anti-normative narratives and dynamics often commences with deconstructing normative language and delving into antinormative language. I may also use text as a vessel to interweave its sounds with those of the composition, creating a harmonious interplay between language and music.

While striving to break free from rigid linguistic conventions, I embrace innovative and inclusive language that resonates with a broader audience. However, I do so by exposing the intrinsic social, cultural, and political values and connotations of language.

In most cases, my exploration of antinormative language aims to dismantle the limitations imposed by mainstream discourse and delve into the nuances of identities and experiences often overlooked or suppressed. This process involves challenging established linguistic norms and embracing linguistic diversity to celebrate the full spectrum of human existence and relationships.

Interviewer: To what extent do postmodernism, “theatre of the absurd”, and post-capitalist society influence your artistic style?

Fabrizio: While my work often centres on the social, cultural, and political dynamics and narratives that stem from post-capitalism (or, for instance, Bauman’s Liquid Modernity), I have gradually moved away from postmodernism and the theatre of the absurd. I have increasingly drawn inspiration from magic realism, neorealism, and other artistic and literary movements, as well as comedy and camp aesthetics over the last few years. These diverse influences have enriched my artistic approach and brought a fresh perspective to my creations.

Interviewer: Who among literary and artistic figures has influenced your work, and how do they contribute to shaping the themes and elements in your librettos?

Fabrizio: One of my most significant sources of inspiration remains the works of queer authors. The powerful stories of Mary Renault, E. M. Forster, Langston Hughes, Reinaldo Airenas, Federico Garcia Lorca, Walt Whitman, Kae Tempest, Jean Genet, Oscar Wilde empower me to delve into non-normative narratives with depth and authenticity.

Another impactful source of inspiration lies in Contemporary Chinese literature, particularly the works of Yu Hua and Mo. Their exploration of intricate relationships and the beautiful complexities of the human experience deeply resonates with my aesthetics, evoking the essence of Italian neorealism, which has also greatly influenced my work through the masterful creations of Vittorio de Sica. As a devoted fan of magic realism, I also draw elements of the otherworldly from authors like Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Jorge Luis Borges.

In addition to Neorealism, I find the works of Chinese directors, especially the 5th generation luminaries like Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige, incredibly powerful. Equally captivating are the narratives and visual aesthetics of directors like Zhang Yuan and Wong Kar-Wai. However, when it comes to melodrama and campiness, my main inspiration comes from Pedro Almodovar. Other directors and screenwriters who profoundly influence my approach to storytelling include Xavier Dolan, Carla Simon, Alan Ball, Michael Haneke, and Charlie Kaufman.

Recently, as I’ve shifted my focus in theater towards exploring the relationship between the audience and the stage, I’ve been delving into the works of Felix Barrett (Punchdrunk), as well as Kate Bond and Morgan Lloyd (You Me Bum Bum Train).

Finally, avant-garde compositions by György Ligeti and Luciano Berio fuel my desire to create unique and immersive auditory experiences. The explosive works of Allen Ginsberg, the operatic brilliance of Arrigo Boito, and the emotive verses of W. H. Auden, Kostantinos Kavafis, Lorenzo da Ponte, Salvadore Cammarano, Eugène Ionesco, W. B. Yeats, the Chinese Misty Poets, and Edoardo Sanguineti also help shape the aesthetic and emotional resonance of my librettos.

Interviewer: Could you provide more details about your prominent work “The Sins of the Cities of the Plain” and the significance of it being written entirely in Polari?

Fabrizio: “The Sins of the Cities of the Plain” draws its inspiration from a historical book of the same name, initially published in London by William Lazenby in 1881 and later by Leonard Smithers in 1902.

Immersed in the Victorian underground world, the book presents itself as the memoirs of Jack Saul, a real male prostitute known as “Dublin Jack”. While there are connections to the real-life Jack Saul, there are also discrepancies. Nonetheless, the authors reveal a profound understanding of Jack Saul’s life and the nuances of the underground world, particularly the dynamics of homosexuality within the Victorian upper-middle classes.

The libretto of the opera is composed entirely in Polari, a crypto-language used by the homosexual community since the late 19th century in British cities. Polari provided a protective shield against eavesdropping and persecution in a society.

In the opera, I feel like the use of Polari conveys a potent (and still relevant) message, honoring its historical significance and its role as a form of resistance against societal norms. By composing the first-ever operatic work entirely in Polari, I wanted to contribute to queer culture but also infuse the classical world with this empowering language. This creative endeavor amplifies the opera’s artistic impact and underscores the importance of preserving and celebrating diverse linguistic expressions within the realm of opera and beyond.

Contact:

Website: www.fabriziofunari.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/librettist/

Instagram: The librettist (@thelibrettist)

Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_librettist