APCOM

A musical at Università Bocconi, entirely produced by its students. It sounds bizarre, but it's true. Last night the association 'Art Culture and Theatre at Bocconi' put on a show, 'Musical in Bocconi', that will surely remain in the athenaeum's history.

The project started a year ago. It was a student, Simone Ferri, who first launched the idea: he spoke about it with Arianna Brioschi who, apart from being a Marketing lecturer, is the vice president of the cultural association. In 1993 she founded the university's acting company (which up to now has registered over 150 actors) and since then she has never stopped dealing with prose theatre.

The announcement of the selection was given to the students by email and the response was huge, as almost 100 people took part in the screen tests. Finally, 14 actors and 8 dancers - both Italian and foreign - were chosen to prepare the musical, which is directed by Simone Ferri. Choreography, scenography and production are also made by students. The show cues come from the experiences they live every day: friendships, loves and daily happenings inside the university.

Rehearsals lasted seven months and the whole experience inevitably turned into something challenging and important for all the youth involved. 'From the educational point of view, it is a very good experience, because it is similar to an entrepreneurial activity' explains Arianna Brioschi 'There's a new product that has to be developed, the team must work well in spite of the difficulties faced and the promotion is a key factor too'. The initiative has been so successful that next year a new musical will be presented again.