“The show communicated so much, it was direct and filled with joy and energy. The performers are happy people who share a genuine relationship of mutual love.” “This performance was fresh and spontaneous and the instrumental and voice quality was quite good. The dynamic and rhythm of the show kept you on the edge of your chair.” “The show transformed me without my realizing it. At the end I was different.” These are a few of the impressions that were shared by some of the spectators of the show when the concert ended. It is one of the most recent shows to come from the Gen Verde Musical Group.

Start Now! took off on October 11th when it was first performed in  little town Loppiano before an international audience of 300 people at Gen Verde’s permanent theatre. The band took stage together with 67 young people from both the local area and abroad.

During the three-days of rehearsing for the show – with song, dance, theater and music – the young people were encouraged to practice their talents and discover new ones. Throughout this creative exercise that was guided by respect and transparency, the artists from Gen Verde and the participants in the workshop worked side by side as members of the same team and concluded with a pop-up performance on the Loppiano stage.

“The educational objectives of the project,” Gen Verde explains “are to promote the arts as a means of educating toward peace, intercultural dialogue, human dignity and the creation of interpersonal relationships that promote human development.”

These goals are achieved through multidisciplinary artistic workshops. “This educational method is based on an experiential approach in which workshop participants share in the group’s growth by working not only as students, but also as protagonists on stage with us,” the artists affirmed.

“First I thought it would be helpful to be a bit egocentric in order to perform,” says one of the young people, “but now I realize that being on stage doesn’t mean thinking about me, but about the other.” “While we were on stage,” another girl adds, “I felt like there was no difference between us and Gen Verde.”

This project seeks to help young people discover art as a universal language that transcends every type of barrier, instilling skills that can be applied in every area of daily life.

Start Now! is intended for schools, universities and youth groups, and can be adapted to the target age and artistic experience of the participants.