Press Release – Love letter to Italian-Canadian Family On Persephone’s Main Stage

Saskatoon, SK – A love letter to family, Italian culture and the Italian-Canadian experience is coming to the Persephone Theatre stage.

Made in Italy, written and performed by Farren Timoteo, will be on the Persephone Main Stage March 12-23, 2025.

Timoteo was inspired to write Made in Italy from the stories he grew up hearing from his family. He explained the story focuses on the relationship between his grandfather and his father, exploring not only the father-son relationship, but also a young man struggling to find his place in Canada as a child of immigrants, against the backdrop of pop culture in the 1970s.

“I was inspired to recreate a million joyful memories of family that would be – were it not for the sheer magic of storytelling – impossible to experience now that so much family has grown up, moved on, or passed away,” Timoteo said. “I wanted to go back to the table where we used to gather together and share it with an audience craving the laughter and connection my family always had to offer.”

At the heart of the story is Timoteo’s father and his real-life experiences. Although he knew a lot of his father’s story, Timoteo said learning more about his life was also a gift he experienced when writing the play.

“It was clear to me there was no engine for this play without exploring aspects of his journey, so I asked for his consent to share his stories,” Timoteo said. “What followed was a time I’ll always treasure.”

The father and son would meet at The Old Spaghetti Factory, where Timoteo would sit with his notebook and his father would share memories with him – both hilarious and painful. He said the time was more than research – it was a beautiful connection between them.

“It brought us closer together and helped create a piece of theatre that genuinely speaks to others with similar experiences,” he said.

Although Timoteo has written other adaptations before, this project was different because it was about his family.

“The weight of it was appropriately significant, and I wanted to be sure I was using these stories to create something that would genuinely elevate audiences,” he said. “But, in other ways, it wasn’t any different than my previous experiences as a writer. The goal was the same as it had always been for me: to write something very funny, energized, fast-paced, and theatrical with the sole purpose of providing an entertaining experience.”

He decided to make it a one-man play, as the format was compelling to him. He explained the format had the opportunity to create a different type of meaningful relationship with audiences, while making it a challenge to create a spectacular and entertaining experience.

“This story seemed uniquely suited to the one-person format because it’s about two individuals who are alone and working their way back to connection,” Timoteo said. “The solitude of the performer contributes to amplifying their journey but also reinforces their connection as a family.”

In the one-man play, Timoteo plays about 20 different characters, nine of those being members of his family.

“It’s challenging to make every one of them clear and instantly recognizable, to give them each a full personality and erase that feeling that one person is playing them all, but that’s also the fun of it,” he said. “It’s truly delightful for me to get to do, and it’s spectacular for the audience to be privy to the sport of making one person feel like a large cast.”

Another exciting piece of the show is the music Timoteo weaves into the production. He explained it helps carry the texture and spirit of his family’s memories.

“When we evoke that time on stage and the nuance of living in that moment, we all travel back to those memories together. It’s an incredible thing to experience, and we all feel grateful for the journey,” he said. “I enjoy every second I get to spend in that world, and in my disco shoes.”

Throughout the entire experience, Timoteo’s family has been incredibly supportive, finding it both meaningful and hilarious to experience their family through Made in Italy, but the biggest fan is his father.

“From the moment I read him my first draft, to this moment eight years after its debut, he has loved it, championed it and supported it like no other,” Timoteo said.

His father travels across the country to see Made in Italy wherever he performs and has already bought tickets to multiple shows during the Persephone Theatre run.

“If you happen to be in the audience when he is, find him and say hi. He’d love that! He looks a lot like me and he’ll be sitting in the front row,” Timoteo laughed.

After doing more than 200 performances of Made in Italy, Timoteo said what he notices the most is the audience having a great time and laughing together, as everyone enjoys seeing a bit of themselves and their own families in the show.

“It’s perhaps been my biggest takeaway from my journey performing it: No matter who you are or where you’re from, we’re all connected. We’re all in it together. We’re all searching for home, family, and purpose. And, we all love to laugh.”

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For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Jodi Schellenberg, Director of Marketing & Communications
[email protected] | 306-384-2126 ext 237