Ciao Bambino at Gulf Coast State College
4/19/2023
Ciao Bambino concluded its first university production at Gulf Coast State College in Panama City, Florida. The show played in late March and early April of 2023, it was a huge success for the college and the community! The production included six performances drawing in attendance of over 800 people during its run.
Interview with Beyond the Curtain, UK.
8/30/2023
A wonderful conversation with Mark Johnson in Leicester, England with Beyond the Curtain blog about the theater scene in the UK, and the vision for Ciao Bambino the Musical! #beyondthecurtain #uktheatre #westend #newmusicals #composers #uscollaborations
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Gulf Coast State College
The show was directed by Vincent Pelligrino, beloved assistant theater professor at GCSC from March 24th-April 2nd, 2023. The actors did an amazing job portraying the Italian American immigrant experience and poured their hearts into their roles. The students were sad when the performances came to an end. But they were grateful to have had the experience to participate in such a wonderful production that required learning Italian phrases and accents from a professional translator, as well as showcasing their acting, dancing, and singing talents.
Music students performed the live music for the show from the musical scores and orchestration created by Andreas Häberlin. The students also designed the stage sets. The songs and sets greatly contributed to the success of the production. Pelligrino designed colorful period costumes which received many compliments.
To everyone's delight, the show was followed after most performances by a Gelato food truck outside the theater which allowed the audience, actors and stage crew alike to continue to enjoy the fun Italian-American experience.
Italian Escape Podcast
12/13/2022
Have you ever watched an Italian “West Side Story”?
Today, we’d like to share with you our conversation with Dr. Elizabeth Turner, a third-generation Italian American who decided to pursue a professional musical career. She is now the Director of Vocal Arts at St. Thomas University.
Music has been a lifeline for Elizabeth. Nowadays, you will often find her busy teaching kids and young adults to learn how to sing.
We chatted with her about her Italian roots, Italian American culture, her love for music, and her Broadway musical called, “Ciao Bambino”.
It’s a story about a young Italian woman named Elizabetta who embarked on a journey of self-discovery as she chases the American dream right after WWII.
Will she make it?
You’ll have to find out by watching her musical next year.
Listen NOW and learn about what it means to be Italian American and how music can shape the way we perceive our cultural history.
