"Signora Battaglia," written by student author Daniela Buccilli, interested me for more reasons than just that it was funny--it reminded me of my childhood while growing up. The nature of the story is very ethnic, and I grew up in a very ethnic community. Every May, we had a huge street fair called "Nationality Days" celebrating the various ethnic heritages of the community. Similar events (although not on such a large scale) occurred throughout the county. Pittsburgh in general is known as a highly ethnic community. Also, I am catholic and my hometown is mostly catholic. (At one point, we were in the Guiness Book of World Records for having the most catholic churches and the most bars per square mite.) I, myself, have often questioned some of the beliefs professed by the catholic church, even to the point where I had stopped going to church for a while. To me, "Signora Battaglia" was a funny way of questioning the church, something that is just not done in a highly ethnic community. In the "Old Country," people did not question a priest, and it is not done in the "New Country" either. But "Signora Battaglia" shows that it is possible to question the church, without going straight to hell, and shows that possibilities exist for things other than what the church preaches.

"Signora Battaglia" is a comedy that questions those things that we just take for granted, in particular, the woman's role in religion. Specifically, it questions whether God can be a woman, and it provides some interesting and humorous justification for why it is possible. "Signora Battaglia" is a direct response to those things the author was exposed to and told to take for granted while growing up. The distinction between the church and the layman, as established through the three main settings, aids in establishing the conflict between the Signora Battaglia and the church. By emphasizing the Signora's theory, the church's reaction, and the symbolic acceptance of Signora Battaglia by the church in the bazaar scene, the audience can accept the possibility of the Signora's theory. By concentrating on the relationship between Cathy/narrator, Signora Battaglia and Father Xavier, the audience can more easily see the relationship between the church and the layman. The names of the characters and the evidence used by the Signora (in support of her theory) help to symbolically reinforce the conflict between her and the church. The audience's role, in relation to the story, is to listen and view this "show and tell" type story, and to keep an open mind to the possibility of the Signora's theory.

The author, Daniela Buccilli, wrote "Signora Battaglia" as a response to what she was exposed to while growing up. Morningside, the setting of the story, is a small town in the outskirts of Pittsburgh where she actually grew up. Thus, she is able to set the story in a surrounding that she is very familiar with and make the story not only accurate but authentic. She is not only Italian, but also catholic, and this story is a direct response to the stimuli that she was exposed to from the catholic church--it questions those things which she was taught to take for granted. Being an Italian girt from a very ethnic community, she illustrates and pokes fun at just how close knit such a community is--and how everybody in the community can spy on and talk so much about one person. Having grown up a catholic, she is able to question, in a humorous way, those things she was taught to take for granted about religion, such as the assumption that God is a man.

As mentioned before, the town where the story takes place is the actual town in which the author grew up. But, she also lays out three distinct settings in the story that contrast one another. First, there is the church, a symbolic setting in which one is supposed to accept the wisdom preached without question. Second, there is the Signora's home, symbolic of a layman's home. Within it lives Signora Battaglia, who everyone considers "batty" and "nuts" and no one is supposed to believe what she says. Finally, there is the church bazaar, which is almost a blending of the church and the layman's home. It's roots lie within the church, but it is primarily a layman's organization, thus showing the not-so-apparent contrast between the church and laymen such as Signora Battaglia.

The church setting is set off from the other two settings using a combination of scene placement and lighting. First, the scene is played upstage on a platform, suggesting it is more righteous and better than the layman's setting. It also is set off as more solemn through the use of lighting. A spotlight shines directly on Father Xavier (no one else gets a spotlight, other than the narrator), and blue and green gels brighten the stage around him, giving the feeling of being in church with light shining in through the stained glass windows (while Father Xavier preaches his sermon). The darker gels (blue and green) also give a more serious, solemn feeling. When the scene changes to a confessional (still inside a church), the gels are simply towered and all that is left is a spotlight focused on the Father, spilling over to light Cathy.

The Signora's home, in contrast to the church, is played downstage and off of the platform. It is off of the platform to symbolize the difference between the layman and the church--the layman of course not being as good as the religious. The lighting is much brighter than that used in the church scene in order to get a lighter feeling in the scene (as opposed to solemnity). The brighter lighting also is used to help open the minds of the audience to think about what the Signora is about to say (this will be discussed later in the paper).

The bazaar, since it is a combination of both the church and the laymen, is designed in a way that incorporates both elements. It is set on both the platform and the main stage. It is well lit, not only to give the appearance that it is taking place outdoors on a summer day, but also to keep the feeling lighter, rather than solemn. The priest stands on the platform, following the idea introduced earlier that the priest is somehow better than the laymen. Cathy is also on the platform, but only at Father Xavier's request for help. Signora Battaglia (the layman) is sitting on the stage, rather than the platform. However, when she moves up to the platform to claim her prize, her movement is symbolic in that it adds validity to her theory that god is a woman. (in other words, since she won the prize and moved up into the religious space, it looks as though her theory may be more valid that initially anticipated.)

There are certain key points in the story that need to be emphasized. The first occurs when the Signora is introduced and she begins to explain her theory (the beginning of scene two). The second key point in the plot occurs in scene three, the church scene, in which the relationship between the church, symbolized by Father Xavier, and Signora Battaglia is established. The third key point occurs when the Signora wins the painting at the church bazaar (scene four).

The key element of the story is the Signora's theory that God is a woman. It is the basis for the entire story. And, the point where she is introduced and introduces her theory is the most important point of the story. Her first line reads, "God is very pleased with how a man physically is." In her third line, she comes right out and says, "You see, God's a woman. The evidence is in the Bible." Not only does she personally admit to this theory (that the narrator first told us about), but she uses the Bible as evidence. In order to not only stress this scene, but to open the audience's minds to the possibility of this theory, I used lighting to set it off. In the previous scene, only the narrator was completely lit. All the characters of the story were on stage, but each was only lit when it was his/her turn to speak, and even then the lighting was soft and mellow. (Cathy actually was lit through the entire first scene, but it was with a deep blue get and the light was only up a third of the way, just enough to establish a relationship between her and the narrator.) But, to open the second scene, I brought four bright floods up aimed in the center of the stage where the characters sat. Not only did this contrast with the previous darker scene, but I believe it tended to heighten the expectation of something funny to come. Also, bright lights tend to give a feeling of openness, which was useful in this case because I wanted the audience to have an open mind when hearing about Signora's theory and her evidence from the bible to support it.

The second key point in the action of the story serves the purpose of explaining the church's position on the theory of God being a woman. Of course, the church does not believe it--the church professes that the Devil is a woman that has "effeminated the heavenly father," and "raped the power that is his." Although not directly acknowledging Signora Battaglia's theory, the church provides an argument against it (although it is not backed up with any evidence). This scene is not near as important as the first key scene, but it does serve an important purpose--it provides an argument with which to "battle" the Signora Battaglia. The Father's argument (his sermon) is validated by the word of the church. The church serves as the solemn authority and does not encourage free thinking--thinking that opposes the word of the church. In order to contrast this argument from that of the Signora's, I once again use lighting to highlight it. In contrast to the bright lighting I used in scene two, I use a much darker stage with very focused lighting. I have a spotlight focused on Father Xavier and dark colored gels flooding the rest of the upstage platform. This effect provides the feel of solemnity that the Father's argument is based on, and the strictly focused lighting is symbolic of the strictly focused thinking professed by the church.

The third key moment in the story is very important, but can easily be missed if the importance of the moment is not stressed. It is the point at which the Signora wins the painting in scene 4. The painting was painted by Father Xavier, and her winning it is an invitation to enter the space strictly reserved for the religious. This scene is highly symbolic. In reality, the Signora just wins a painting at the church bazaar. But, symbolically, it represents the Signora gaining the advantage in her "battle" against the church over whether God is a woman. This advantage is shown symbolically in her stepping up onto the platform, previously reserved for the religious of the church, in order to claim her prize. In keeping the scene looking realistic, bright lighting is used to represent a sunny summer day. However, in much the same way as it served to open the audience's mind in scene two, the bright lights also serve to keep the possibilities open in scene four as well.

There are three main characters that need the most emphasis in this story: Cathy/narrator, Signora Battaglia and Father Xavier. The relationship between Cathy and the narrator is very important, since the narrator, who is the older self of Cathy, is telling the story. The Signora Battaglia is the most unique and interesting character. Father Xavier, on the other hand, is perhaps the most ambiguous.

The narrator of this story is Cathy--an older Cathy that is looking back on her life while telling the story. One of the most important things that must be done is to establish the relationship between Cathy and the narrator. This can be done through various techniques. In the very beginning of the story when I brought the two lights up on the narrator, I also brought a blue get light one-third up on Cathy. All characters were on stage at the time, but I had Cathy lift her head while the rest of them kept their heads down. The narrator was also facing inward towards center stage, while Cathy, who was standing center stage, was turned slightly in the direction of the narrator. This technique was a subtle way to establish the relationship between the narrator and Cathy. Later in the story, in order to strengthen the bond, I had the narrator do things that Cathy herself was doing, such as blessing herself at the same time as Cathy (confessional scene) and playing with her hair at the same time as Cathy. I felt that I could use more subtle tactics to establish the relationship between the two without fear that some people might not "catch on" because the text of the story clearly establishes the relationship.

The Signora Battaglia, as I pictured her, was an older woman, slightly husky and with large breasts, and maybe not as much crazy as merely fun-loving. I also believed that she was a real freethinker. The text of the story does a good job of describing her. "Her large bosom sank deep into the blue of her flower print dress and disappeared." In casting for this role, I was looking for someone on the "full-figured" side--not really fat, but definitely with the "large bosom." I also was looking for someone who could pass for being Italian. A blonde haired-, fair skinned-Scandinavian just would not cut it. Finally, and most importantly, I was looking for someone with the characterizations and vocal abilities to correspond to my vision of the Signora Battaglia. Since I too come from an older, ethnic community like the author, I had a very vivid picture of what this woman should act like, look like, etc. Her characterizations need to be exaggerated, but not unreal. And vocally, she had to seem Italian (although I was not looking for an accent, except on Italian words that were deliberately used.) The best description of what I thought the character should be like is brazen, bold and somewhat husky. Since the text gave a description of what she was wearing, I also was looking for a very particular dress for her--a tacky blue flowered dress that would be perfect for a grandmother. By wearing this dress, by making her hair gray and putting it in a bun, and by emphasizing the unique characteristics of Signora Battaglia, this character shined above the rest.

Father Xavier was a rather ambiguous character. First of all, he is a priest in an Italian parish, but the name Xavier is definitely not Italian. Thus, it is important not to cast an Italian-like person in this role (more will be explain later under language). In costuming the priest, I had two different avenues to chose from. I could have had him wear the cape and gown traditionally worn while celebrating mass. But instead, I opted for the simpler all black outfit with the white collar. I felt this was more symbolic of the priest. The dark colors represented the closed-mindedness of the church, as opposed to the brighter colors worn by Signora Battaglia, a more open-minded layman.

The language used in the text carries the most symbolic meaning of any part of the story. In two different contexts, names play an important symbolic role in the story. And, the language used by Signora Battaglia creates a symbolic meaning beyond the literal meaning of the text.

One of the most interesting things about the story is the name of the title character, Signora Battaglia. Battaglia in Italian means battle. Of course this is no coincidence. The relationship between the Signora Battaglia and the church is that of a battle. Many members of the audience probably would never get the hidden meaning of the word battaglia. However, to have the character of Signora Battaglia portrayed as a "fighting" woman would at least give the audience the feeling of the battle between her and the church. The character of Signora Battaglia needs to be somewhat "hot-blooded;" she should have "fire in her eyes." This battle between her and the church needs to be emphasized by focusing on the tension between her and Father Xavier. At one point in the story, after Father delivers his sermon, the narrator says she stopped knitting, looked up and raised an eyebrow. The audience needs to see the "fire" in her eyes at that point, rather than see her emotionless (since the priest was just saying how the devil is the woman and that God is a man).

As mentioned earlier, Xavier is not an Italian name. And after careful analysis, one should note that the two nuns, Sister Joan and Sister Francis, are also not Italian. Xavier, Joan and Francis are all French. The author consciously chose not to have Italians serve as the religious of the church. This symbolizes the distance between the laymen and the church. Members of the church's religious are often so far removed (so different) from the laymen that they begin to lose identification with their congregations. Thus, in order to demonstrate this difference, I need to cast an actor for Father Xavier that is not Italian, and who shows a distinct difference between himself and the non-religious characters of the story. Signora Battaglia uses the bible as evidence to prove her theory. One may say that she is manipulating the words in the Bible to prove her theory--but regardless, it is the peak of comedy in the story. "If God was a man he'd have erected high mountain peaks to keep Moses safe from the Egyptians. But it was our womanly God who made the deep canyon and then filled it with water. That's the Red Sea." She also uses what some might call illogical logic in rationalizing her argument. "Father Xavier. Now there's a handsome man. A woman would do good to have him as a husband. That's why God married him. She picked him early. That's why he doesn't want to marry anybody else." Since such lines are the foundation of the comic element of the story, they need to have special stress in their reading. Because they can be regarded as "illogical logic," the lines need to be read with the utmost seriousness--the audience needs to believe that Signora Battaglia believes this to be true. She also needs to take her time in delivering the lines. Not all are easily comprehensible, and some the audience really needs to think about before understanding their full implications. As stated before, they really mean much more than they actually say; therefore, the audience needs time to comprehend the meanings. This is best accomplished through the use of pauses and stress. By pausing and taking time in delivering the lines, the audience can then absorb their meanings more easily. And, by placing the stress on the appropriate words (the ironic elements of the phrase), the audience can be lead to the intended meaning easier than if they had no clue as to why the line might be funny.

The relationship between the story and the audience is important in three ways. First, the narrator is telling the story to the audience. Second, the audience gets to see the action taking place in front of them. And third, the audience is left with the important task of deciding whether to believe the Signora's theory or not.

The narrator's relationship to the audience is the most important because it is a direct relationship. She is the only one of the characters on stage who establishes eye contact with the audience. The narrator needs to non-verbally (as well as verbally) establish a relationship with the audience in order to bring them into the story (figuratively speaking). Eye contact is the best way to engage an audience--if someone is looking at them and talking to them, they are more likely to concentrate and pay closer attention than if no one is looking at them.

In this presentation of "Signora Battaglia," there is a combination of "show and tell" taking place. The narrator is telling us what happened--telling us the details of her life. But, the characters then take over and show us exactly what happened--from the narrator's perspective--rather than just tell us what happened. For instance, the first scene consists of the narrator telling us things, with brief bits of information being "told" (not shown) to the audience by the characters. Then, in scene two, the characters take over and begin to show us what happened. The difference between showing and telling lies in focus. When "telling" is going on, the narrator or character is using direct eye contact with the audience, such as in scene one. But when action is unfolding in front of the audience, off-stage focus is employed. This distinguishes between telling something to the audience (direct eye contact) and showing the audience something (off-stage focus).

Finally, one of the most important things for the audience to do is to keep an open mind about what is being theorized in the story. The audience's role is to think about what is being said--not really to decide if it is correct or not, but to simply think about the possibilities. In order to ask an audience to do that, one must provide a setting that is conducive for that. As mentioned earlier, using bright lighting tends to open one's mind for different information. It does not give the narrow, closed feeling that dark lighting does. Bright lighting signals possibilities and hope. Thus, bright lighting should be used in scenes two, four and five to allow the audience to open their minds to the possibility of this highly unique theory that is presented by the Signora Battaglia.

"Signora Battaglia" tries to open our minds to other options and shows us that we should not always take for granted what we are taught. While most people probably will not think that God is a woman just because Signora Battaglia believes it to be so, hopefully people will, in a more general sense, keep an open mind to new possibilities. "Signora Battaglia," in a very humorous way, shows us the negative side to living in a highly ethnic community as well as the catholic church. While I may not want to admit that the Signora is right, I must admit that the possibility does exist.

Stage Design

Father X.:

"...ungratefuls give nothing, niente, niente, niente."

Father Xavier often ends his sentences in Italian if he notices a dozer in the back or if the message is especially important. He used to interject Latin maxims during his sermons, but to those listening, this all sounded like witchtalk. So, the altarboys were instructed by the men of the Laymen's Auxiliary to give Father Xavier a kick at the heel if he should ever fall victim again. Each year, when the bazaar comes around, he releases his passione and all his logic to save our souls from the sin of greed and wealth. This is the best time of the year to go to mass. (Light 4 down on Father, exit stage right) When the Signora returned to the neighborhood, the Bazaar was a week old, but still in need of volunteers. At Bible school, all of us in grades one through eight concentrated on making posters for the following week's advertising. Sister Joan and Sister Francis stopped hosting the bingo games because there was so much else to do. And Father Xavier was suffering from migraines again. My mother, like everybody else's, sold the tickets for the big raffle we have at the end of the month. Our fathers were finishing the construction of eight new stands for games. Our grandmothers continually stitched and glued the various crafts that would be the prizes. At night, we'd all play games and eat carmel popcorn until it was time to go. As for our grandfathers--well there aren't many old men around.

This used to bother me some. (Light 11 up on Mother) Mother sometimes says . . .

Mother: (Light 11 down on Mother, exit stage left.)