Hell in the Cave: Falling down to find the light

Abstract

When it comes to Hell, nothing is more appropriate than thinking about the Divine Comedy. In fact, this internationally famous poem by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri portrays the most popular and famous Hell in Western culture. From its very beginning, this poem has been performed in public readings and spread throughout the world and adapted in many ways.

In the second half of the nineteenth century, a new tradition of shows paved the way for the many others that followed during the twentieth century, especially in relation to the various anniversaries of the birth and death of the poet. From the sixties and seventies, thanks to the theories and practices of New Theatre, the staging of Dante was given a second life: new techniques as well as new spaces were made available to the performers. The contemporary scene of the twenty-first century has developed from these multiple instances and now faces a new contribution, from social media. This article analyses a specific performance of Dante’s Inferno called Hell in the Cave. This show, performed for the first time in May 2011, gathers the audience and leads it deep inside the earth -- like a ‘second Dante’ -- using the geological site of Castellana Caves near Bari in Italy. The perfect setting of the caves offers a unique and immersive experience to the audience, who are also asked to take an active part in the infernal story. This vision of Hell combines drama, music and acrobatic dance with a singular setting in order to provide the most authentic impression of sin and damnation. This captivating performance testifies to a new kind of approach to performing Hell, especially related to Dante’s staging tradition.

Notes

1 In 2011 the show Hell in the Cave was produced by Giusy Frallonardo and Enrico Romita in the suggestive setting of the Castellana Caves in Bari (Italy), casting over 30 young artist, actors, dancers and performers from the province of Bari and Apulia. This year the show marks its tenth anniversary, in conjunction with seventh centenary of Dante's death. Please see https://bit.ly/2Uvxtbo and https://bit.ly/2Uocdo5

2 Dante's Hell is the most read and known canticle because it is written to be accessible and easy to recall with its parts and episodes and its carnevalesco style. It is meant to be engaging as folkloristic things are, but the message is clearly: come on guys, Inferno is our devilish part, let's move on to purgatory and paradise because we are born to be happy (Dante was a medieval Christian. He wrote the Divine Comedy to encourage people to be free of damnation). (See Luzzi: 2006).

3 See a brief chronology at the following link: https://bit.ly/3hD34Qw.

4 To better understand the great amount of shows and new performances related to Dante, see the programme of this year dedicated to his centenary and the previous programmes in the archive: https://bit.ly/3jOdUG9

5 See also the interesting arguments made by Nassos Papalexandrou in his late article about ‘Caves as sites of sensory and cognitive enhancement’ (2021) and ‘The multi-symbolic profile of caves: Spiritual landscapes, disaster environments and cultural monuments’ by Amanda Laoupi.

6 To better understand this phenomenon, visit the official website of Kents Cavern near Torquay, Devon, in the UK: https://bit.ly/3wnxmMv

7 In order to see images of the beautiful geospeleological site in Apulia, visit the official website of Castellana Caves: https://bit.ly/3kKPk9G

8 Translations by Sara Fontana unless otherwise stated.

9 Allen Mandelbaum is author of one of the two English translations selected by the platform Digital Dante https://bit.ly/36jbB5P

10 Dante Today is a ‘curated, crowd-sourced repository that brings to light Dante’s sustained presence in contemporary culture’: https://bit.ly/3jTCjKm

11 I refer to the text that was actually used and heard during the show, the Italian sounds that rebounded in the caves. I quote the cantos and the verses with the standard quotation system (i.e. Inf. as abbreviation of Inferno—Hell in Italian— and the cardinal number of the canto). Using this reference as compass, the reader can find the corresponding verses in English inside Digital Dante (see https://bit.ly/3ANaHN8). This source, made available by the Columbia University research team coordinated by Teodolinda Barolini, offers Dante’s Italian text in the Petrocchi’s edition, as well as two different English translations: one by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and the other by Allen Mandelbaum. In addition, the Baroliniano commentary on Dante’s text and other remarkable features are also made available, making this online edition a useful tool for experts and people interested in approaching and understanding Dante’s world and works.

12 In order to understand this incredible geospeleological site as setting for the show ‘Hell in the Cave’, watch this video that helps clarify how the show uses the space to locate the artists and to make the public move in the infernal journey: https://bit.ly/3hnfpt3 See footage of the show here: https://bit.ly/3hIujt0 We can also add a reference to their youtube channel: https://bit.ly/2TB1PcJ

13 ‘Oh vengeance of God’. This is actually a parody of Psalm 94.1, where God is seen as the truth judge of the world and here Lucifer is adressed, as prince of hell but actually the direct victim of the judgment of God.

14 If you are interested in watching this specific scene, follow this link to Hell in the Cave channel on youtube: https://bit.ly/3qSGibp.

15 To better understand the passage and Ulysses figure, consult the English version on Digital Dante platform: https://bit.ly/3jSMbE0

16 ‘he first, I following—until I saw/ through a round opening, some of those things of beauty Heaven bears./ It was from there/ that we emerged, to see—once more—the stars.’ To read the full canto in English, follow this link to the Digital Dante platform: https://bit.ly/3xseu0i

17 In Italian: ‘Quando la danza è parte integrante dell'ambiente di un evento performativo, nel quale interagiscono immagini video, realtà virtuale, suoni sintetizzati, rielaborazioni digitali del movimento, in differita o in tempo reale, ci troviamo all'interno di un'esperienza percettiva, che mette in gioco più direttamente la corporeità: se non quella del performer, almeno quella di uno spettatore certamente più attivo, che in tali contesti ambientali diviene a sua volta protagonista di un'azione ed è parte in causa e motore del processo artistico e creativo.’