In 1966 Franca Viola became the first Italian woman to take to court a cultural convention that would have her marry her rapist Filippo Melodia, a mafia youngster. With her NO, Franca changed the course of justice and opened the path for other women to follow. The law which allowed a rapist to extinguish his crime by marrying his victim was abolished only in 1981 in Italy and sexual violence became a crime only in 1996. Still today, all around the world, there are cases like Franca’s and countries where such laws are still present. In this new show, we explore topics of consent, cultural laws and family bonds through the story of one woman that said NO.

Conceived by Cecilia Gragnani & Katharina Reinthaller
Performed by Cecilia Gragnani

The project is currently in development