This project aims to return the art of ancient storytelling to the city of Rome, re-using the site of Teatro Marcello, an ancient Roman theatre. Using the ruins and existing arches the programme offers spaces to write, speak and perform.
In plan the grid of the ancient arches have been re-used and projected radially to create a timer structure housing theatre seating and framing the ruins on the site.
The contrast between the old and new was an important aspect of the project and has been enhanced in elevation through the use of materiality and light and shade.
The relationship between the new timber structure housing performance seating and the stages within the existing arches shows the connection to the history of the site and the art of projecting the stories through the city.
Within the programme, visitors are invited to write and share stories, these can be bound and exhibited in the exhibition space where the stories of both the ancient and modern Rome can be shared and viewed.
Inspired by the rituals of the Secular Games, visitors are invited to social spaces to discuss their experience, and then asked to reflect and write these stories. These are then shared in performance and courtyard spaces.
