Argentina – "The WhatsApp of Zatti"

25 November 2022

(ANS - Tucumán) - "El WhatsApp de Don Zatti" is an artistic project that came about because of Artemide Zatti’s canonization and the joy of being able to celebrate it, which has sparked a great movement of joy and enthusiasm among young Argentines. The Salesians of Tucumán Germán Díaz and Mariano Bressan, with their pastoral team, thus launched an initiative aimed at presenting the figure of Br. Zatti, the new Italo-Argentine saint; in the end, they decided to create a theatrical performance with content that was meaningful and suitable for today's youth culture.

In developing the staging and writing the script, Br. Germán Díaz and his collaborators relied on historical documentation related to Br. Zatti's life; starting from that, little by little, they “dramatized” his story, always relying, however, on characters who reflect the truth of the events.

Another theme for discussion concerned the title of the work: from the beginning, the objective was to convey a part of Zatti's life through some of his special relationships and his communication with them, but doing so by imagining him across a modern smartphone. Thus, the biggest challenge faced in this project was to maintain a narrative balance between today’s world and historical authenticity.

From an artistic point of view, it was not intended to be strictly a musical, but at the same time, they decided to entertain the audience with songs, created by the show's youth choir, called "Hijos de Don Bosco" (Children of Don Bosco).

Gradually, and with God's help, the team of people involved in the play’s production was formed, and a casting call was made to identify the actual cast of actors.

Also, a team committed to the press, PR, and communication service was also composed, tasked with giving visibility to this project.

The result of this staging was a song entitled "Amando con Humor," written by a young man who then in presenting it stated that God had been present through Br. Zatti in every moment of his life, encouraging and reassuring him not to loosen his grip during the composition and production of this musical piece.

In two intense weeks of work, much was achieved. "Undoubtedly, our St. Artemide Zatti was the one who accomplished all this. The team that made the entire performance was just an instrument of God in this project," say the Salesians of Tucumán, who then assure that such a project is only the beginning of a long journey still in the making.

InfoANS

ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication, the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007.

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