Written in the 14th Century as the Black Plague raged through Europe, Giovanni Boccaccio’s “The Decameron” featured 100 stories told by a group of seven young people sheltering in a secluded villa outside Florence, weaving tales to pass time in quarantine. Now, during a modern pandemic, a new group of storytellers have banded together—virtually—to tell tales in “Decameron 2020.” The June 9 installment features Michael Aloni (“Shtisel”) performing the work of playwright Ariel Dorfman.
The brainchild of producers Erri De Luca and Paola Porrini Bisson under the direction of Michael Mayer, the project reflects the contributions of performers and writers from many disciplines offering their talents. “In an epidemic that attacks lungs and stifles breaths, this ‘no-gated’ community has started to supply the oxygen of its art,” De Luca said.
“Collaborating with such diverse and passionate artists, many of whom I have admired for years, feels like a real privilege,” added Mayer. “Getting to do all that in such tumultuous times, is truly uplifting.”
New stories will be added regularly on YouTube here, where all of the pieces will be archived.
