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Long - term readers of CTR may remember John Juliani's impassioned response to the appointment of Robin Phillips to the Stratford Festival. In our inaugural issue, CTR capped an interview with Phillips with a similar interview with Juliani, who announced his new position as artistic director of the Strazione National Theatre of Italy. Coincidentally, Juliani has returned home from his 20 - year stint just as CTR celebrates its 20th birthday. We asked Vancouver CBC producer John Juliani to interview John Juliani on his return.
In the Spring of 1994 you accepted a position as Artistic Director of the Stazione National Theatre of Italy, and we remember interviewing you in our first issue. Now, twenty years later you have returned. Why?
Juliani: Well, I suppose after having overcome all the furore and resentment that my appointment initially caused, after years of working in Italy and having been moderately successful, that the time had come to continue my career in the country of my birth. Canadian, after all, is my mother tongue, eh?
Just how much of a fuss did that appointment cause? We didn't hear much about it on this side of the Atlantic.
Even for a country as broadminded as Italy, I'd say that the idea of a foreigner, someone with a quasi - Italian name, assuming the reins of their National Theatre was quite offensive. There were protests in most of the major cities. And in Sicily - Palermo, to be specific -- one hot - blooded young stage director challenged me to a duel.
Hmmmm. That gesture has a familiar ring to it. Did you accept?
No. I declined. I didn't want to be seen as contributing to anyone's persecution complex. But I was prepared to go through with a ceremonial duel, so that the Italian theatrical community could at least feel it had been given the chance to ... come se dici ... "avenge its honour".
In the three decades or so that you sent away from Canada what have you been doing?
I've managed to work regularly as a director in theatre, film, television and on the radio. Oh, and in opera too. I discovered that I had quite an affinity for that art form. And for the past...