"The Faces of Frida" premieres on 16 May at Teatro Fontarò in Palermo, Italy
12 May 2026
"The Faces of Frida"premieres on 16 May at the Teatro Fontarò. The new theatre company Prósopon presents "I Volti di Frida", a play written and directed by Chiara Torricelli, dedicated to the figure of Frida Kahlo "The Faces of Frida" is not a biography, but a journey through pain, desire and identity.
On stage, four young actresses bring to life a multifaceted, fragmented Frida, in a state of constant transformation. A work built on the body, the spoken word and rhythm, which does not seek to explain Frida Kahlo, but to bring her to life, revealing her most human side. And what remains is not a portrait, but a life that continues, beyond the stage.
The actresses – Sofia Castagna, Elisa Ciriminna, Clara Genova and Sofia Graziano – share a single presence, giving voice to a figure who multiplies, contradicts herself and never allows herself to be defined in a single way.A performance that does not construct a linear narrative, but creates a space of tension between word, body and memory.
In her director’s note, Chiara Torricelli explains that the project stems “from an attempt to strip Frida Kahlo of her iconic image and restore her to her most concrete and human dimension”. A woman ravaged by physical and emotional pain, yet capable of transforming it into creative strength.
“The wounded body is not a limitation, but a source,” writes the director, emphasising how painting, love, suffering and desire coexist as parts of the same urgent need to exist. The decision to entrust Frida to four performers comes precisely from the desire to convey this complexity. No imitation, no realistic reconstruction: the staging focuses on a shared physical and vocal score, built on listening, movement and presence. “The stage is bare. The body is the centre. The word is action,” reads the director’s note. The production thus moves within a constant tension between fragility and resilience, between stillness and desire, seeking direct contact with the audience rather than a celebratory performance. “Frida is not balance, but excess, contradiction, a hunger for life,” writes Torricelli.
Written and directed by: Chiara Torricelli
Technical direction: Nino Tarantino.
Assistant director: Daniela Vasta.
For information and tickets: Instagram page prosopon_24.
