Maurizio Garuti in *St Francis – He Was My Son: The Saint as a Young Man, as Told by His Father*“

Theatre reading

St Francis – He was my son 

The Saint as a young man, as recounted by his father 

by Maurizio Garuti 

organised by Teatro Laboratorio TP APS

A monologue by Maurizio Garuti

Directed by Francesca Calderara

Interpreter: Gabriele Marchesini

Cristina Giorgi on the harp

St Francis, too, was a young man who did not know what he wanted to do when he grew up, just like many of us. Then he found his path. We are all familiar with his act in the square in Assisi, when he stripped off his clothes and handed them to his father, along with the last few coins he had in his pocket. This marked the culmination of the first phase of his life, squandered on revelry and pleasures. Francis made the most radical choice: he completely renounced worldly possessions and refused to become a wealthy merchant, as was the family tradition. No one, however, has recounted Francis’s youth from the perspective of his father, who feels disowned by his son and suffers bitterly from this loss. Here, the traditional narrative is turned on its head: Pietro di Bernardone, the father, is the narrator. His is the drama of a parent who has expectations and hopes for his son and sees them betrayed. It strikes an emotional chord that transcends time and resonates with everyone.

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