Alessandro Idonea’s ‘262 vestiti appesi’ Tours Belgium and France for Marcinelle Disaster 70th Anniversary

The Italian‑produced theatre piece “262 vestiti appesi”, created in 2014 by director Alessandro Idonea, will embark on an October tour of the former mining districts of Wallonia, Belgium, and northern France. The production, which won the SIAE 2025 “Per chi crea” award and is supported by Italy’s Ministry of Culture, combines music by composer Mario Incudine, a script by Maria Elisa Corsaro adapted from journalist Maria Laura Franciosi’s work, and French subtitles provided by scholar Jean Paul Manganaro.

Its opening performance is scheduled for 1 October at the Bois du Cazier auditorium in Marcinelle, the site of the 8 August 1956 mine fire that killed 262 miners, including 136 Italians from regions such as Abruzzo, Calabria, Campania, Sicily and Veneto. The tour aims to renew public memory of the tragedy while showcasing contemporary Italian‑French theatrical collaboration.