April | Teatro delle Moline

From 12 to 15 November 2026, April is staged at the Teatro delle Moline in Bologna.

Fanny & Alexander dedicate their new work to April Ashley, a pioneer of gender transition and a British activist for transgender and LGBTQ+ rights.

Conceived and directed by Luigi Noah De Angelis, with dramaturgy and costumes by Chiara Lagani, April is a theatrical elegy about freedom, change and the pursuit of a new identity. The story traces Ashley’s difficult childhood in Liverpool, her years at the Carousel in Pigalle, her surgery in Casablanca in 1960, the United Kingdom’s refusal to legally recognise her as a woman, the subsequent court case, as well as her artistic life, relationships and the recognition she received later in life.

On stage, Andrea Argentieri embodies the different stages of April’s gradual transformation, guided by her words and voice. Behind him, a screen presents a feminine image synchronised with the live performance. The production is part of the company’s series of mimetic portraits and uses the technique of heterodirection, through which the performer receives vocal tracks, gestures and words via an earpiece.

World premiere. Performed in English with Italian surtitles.