Jet Propulsion Theatre (JPT) is a project of the Arditodesìo Theatre Company, a professional theatre production company founded in 2002, headquartered at the Portland Theatre in Trento, Italy. In 2012, Arditodesìo joined forces with the Physical Science Communication Laboratory of the Physics Department of the University of Trento to launch JPT.
JPT’s mission is to teach and practice scientific narration by means of theatre and artistic expression, to develop a sense of curiosity and wonder, a thirst for knowledge, and to allow a better comprehension of the scientific world, the people that live it, the results of science and, bottom line, to better understand our present and future.
All our work builds on deep scientific content in a wide spectrum of fields to promote science engagement, connecting researchers, science facilitators, teachers and artists. It lies at the interface between science and art, human beings and society, and the philosophy of science.
JPT originates from the idea that high-level science done in Universities and Research Centres around the world is rarely coupled with adequate tools to communicate science in comprehensible and inspiring ways. At the same time most audiences don’t have the technical knowledge to fully appreciate scientific work and advances, and so novel communication channels need to be invented. Moreover, a healthy society should cherish proficiency in science, art, music… because this way its leaders face a public opinion that is aware and awake.
In a world under increasing political, economic, environmental and societal pressures, it is fundamental to make science more accessible, attractive and unquestionable to society, and to better connect the scientific community with key stakeholders such as policy makers, business, future generations and the society at large. Theatre infused with Science is part of the answer in addressing this need, bridging the gap between scientists and society.
To achieve its mission, JPT engages in the design and delivery of:
• Innovative professional artistic productions.
• Tailored training and education on science teaching and communication.
• Distinctive verbal communication services and events.
JPT drives innovation in the creation, production and performance of artistic productions scientifically validated by experts in the science community, and delivered by professionals from the performing arts. These include theatre productions and innovative performances developed by JPT: award-winning Augmented Lectures, which are captivating presentations connecting researchers and artists from disciplines ranging from poetry to theatre, music to video, illustration to street art, cooking to design… aiming at the popularization of science. JPT’s productions and performances have toured around Europe and beyond to Africa and the US, being performed hundreds of times in schools, science and theatre festivals, science centres, conferences etc.
JPT designs and delivers workshops to support the science and the education community:
i. to better communicate their content and deliverables using performing arts techniques (such as storytelling, narrative development, voice coaching, body language awareness, etc), and
ii. to better connect their scientific content with wider societal issues.
This combined approach fosters mutual understanding strengthening the connection between scientists and their audiences, and is delivered in academic institutions (secondary school and higher education), science centres, and museums. JPT is particularly engaged with schools as part of its mission to bring science and scientific culture to youth, in order to inspire them to look at science with positive curiosity and pursue a scientific career.
JPT creates and delivers innovative verbal communication services including talks, Augmented Lectures (integration of scientific lectures and artistic performance), video blogs, podcasts, science stories, etc to help science centres, researchers, academic institutions and schools deliver and disseminate their findings and research.
In 2017, Arditodesìo / JPT launched the “Teatro della Meraviglia” (Theatre of Wonder) Festival in Trento (Italy), an annual science theatre festival dedicated to science narration and dissemination. Co-organised by Teatro Portland, the University of Trento and Opera Universitaria, it proposes a wide range of performances and lectures done by scientists and artists. The festival is gaining traction and in the latest edition it attracted some 1500 spectators over a 6-day program, of which 40% were high school and university students. It is currently underway the proposal to turn the Festival into a European Project.
JPT productions are both in Italian, English and more recently also in French and have toured at a great number of venues, theatres, universities and schools in Europe, Africa and the United States.
Among the Organizations, places and venues where Brunello has brought his work, we list:
• Milan University “Bicocca” - Italy
• Bergamo University - Italy
• Bologna University - Italy
• Marine Sciences Institute CNR - Italy
• International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste - Italy
• Hardin Planetarium, Western Kentucky University - Kentucky USA
• Planetarium of Turin - Italy
• The Joint Research Center for the European Commission in Ispra/Varese - Italy
• ECSITE Annual Conference - The Hague, The Netherlands
• Edinburgh International Science Festival - U.K.
• Genoa Science Festival - Italy
• BergamoScienza Festival- Italy
• Teatro e Scienza Festival, Turin- Italy
• Sofia Science Festival - Bulgaria
• Falling Walls Engage - Berlin, Germany
• Scientix SPNE - Athens, Greece
• Sound of Science Festival - Mortsel, Belgium
• Esplora Science Centre - Malta
• Edinburgh Festival Fringe - U.K.
• Draper Hall - London - U.K.
• Re-Logia Festival - Sofia, Bulgaria
• Next Einstein Forum - Rwanda
• Summer Scriptwriting Base - Bulgaria
• BOZAR - Brussels, Belgium
• TEDxMilan - Italy
• FOCUS Live Festival (Trento, Milan) - Italy
• Educating the Educators III, ICSE - Pädagogische Hochschule Freiburg - Germany
