The Rule of Thirds | Italy
Written by Marco De Simone
Translated by Caterina Nonis
Directed by Patrizia Acerra
In Partnership with In Scena!
Synopsis - The play is inspired by a real event recounted in the autobiography of Robert Capa. On the night between July 9 and 10, 1943, the renowned war photojournalist was welcomed into a farmer’s home, along with some American soldiers sent to Sicily just before the Allied landing. Disregarding strict realism and overcoming obvious language barriers, the author imagines a dialogue between Capa and the farmer, highlighting the characters as symbols of two worlds meeting on the edge of the abyss opened by war. Two worlds far apart, marked by different experiences, intentions, and perspectives—yet united by a shared reckoning with both war and life.
Southeastern Sicilian hinterland, at dawn on Saturday, July 10, 1943. A farmer welcomes war photojournalist Robert Capa into his farmhouse after he parachuted onto the island the night before the Allied landing. Their dialogue highlights the photographer’s strong personality and his wealth of anecdotes, shaped by firsthand experience in war zones. In the background, the farmer becomes the voice of the “thirds”—the vast mass of civilians who remain outsiders to the warring factions. Like the photographic rule suggests, these individuals demand to be brought into focus to tell another story—their own—hidden beneath the Grand Historical Narrative.
Playwright - Marco De Simone
Playwright - Marco De Simone is a multifaceted artist—an author, actor, and musician. A graduate of the Conservatory in Classical Guitar with a master’s degree in Philosophy, he has been writing for the theater since 2016. His plays “Non è mai successo” and “L’odore della luna” have received multiple awards in Italy. He wrote and performed in “We, Puppets”, a production that has toured both in Italy and internationally, including at In Scena! 2023. With four musicals to his name, he has also collaborated extensively with contemporary theater and dance companies, contributing stage music, scripts, and adaptations. His play “The Rule of Thirds” has won the In Scena! Playwright Award 2025 and the Clepsamia Award in Milan in 2025.
Translator - Caterina Nonis
Translator - Caterina Nonis is a director, actor and translator living and working between Milan and New York. As a director, recent credits include workshopping an original opera at Berkeley Rep’s The Ground Floor, and assisting on ATIR’s El Nost Milan (dir. Serena Sinigaglia). Other collaborations include Page 73, The Venice Biennale, The Habitat, Theatre East, Modern Shakespeare Project, Campo Teatrale, Beyond Borders Italy. She toured the US and Italy with Kairos Italy Theatre’s The Worth of Women. She served as director and community facilitator on many projects by the Inheritance Theatre Project. Her documentary Mario was presented at CinemAmbiente Festival in 2021 and won Best Documentary at Moviemmece Festival in 2022. Translations: Little Beast by Tobia Rossi (Eurodram selection 2025); Apartment 2B by Andrea Cioffi (KIT, 2025); I Colori della Moda by Caroline Young (24 Ore Cultura, 2023) as well as numerous articles and academic papers. BFA: NYU Tisch, Stella Adler & RADA. www.caterinanonis.com
Director – Patrizia Acerra
Director - Patrizia Lombardi Acerra is a Chicago–based stage director, deviser, producer, and arts entrepreneur best known as the founder and artistic force behind Premiere Theatre & Performance and the International Voices Project (IVP) of Chicago. She programs and directs new work and plays in translation, and has built IVP into an annual festival and producing organization that highlights cross-cultural theatrical voices. Her work as a theatre-maker weaves together directing, producing, festival curation, translation, and international theatre exchange. Grounded in academic training in theatre, theology and communications studies, she brings a reflective and mission-oriented lens to theatre-making. Based in Chicago, her practiced focuses on global theatre, translation and adaptation.