News

“Being Leonardo da Vinci (An Impossible Interview)” was staged on June 24 at the Waseda Shogekijo Drama-kan Theatre. This extraordinary play, featuring world-renowned Italian playwright and actor Massimiliano Finazzer Flory, was made possible by Waseda University Cultural Affairs Division in cooperation with the Italian Culture Institute.

Flory, who shares his time between Milan and New York, constantly explores ways to fuse literature, philosophy, art, music, and dance for artistic innovation. In the theatrical biography, he transformed into da Vinci by wearing a period costume and special make up, bringing the talented Italian polymath back to life in present day. Speaking in Renaissance Italian, Flory revealed his interpretation of da Vinci’s childhood, theory on art, and insights on the relationship between art and science. The story then extended to discussing deeper topics such as anatomy, psychology, and religion. Cellist of the Guido Cantelli Orchestra, Yuriko Mikami, played the role of a reporter interviewing da Vinci. Although a musician by training, she proved to be quite an actress on the stage.

This performance has been shown in the following venues:

Morgan Library & Museum in New York, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Theatre Center on Strastnoy Bolevard in Moscow,, Petit Palais in Paris, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Museo nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci in Milan, Biblioteca Reale in Torino, and The Globe of Science and Innovation, CERN in Geneva

Related Links

• Waseda Shogekijo Drama-kan Theatre
• Waseda University Cultural Affairs Division
• Learn more about art and cultural events on campus