On Wednesday March 19, the edumusical Caccia Al Tesoro Treasure Hunt, written and directed by award-winning, internationally acclaimed singer and actress Simona Rodano, was performed in the Center for the Arts Williamson Theatre, including a performance from aerialist artist, CSI alumna, and current Adjunct College Lab Technician in the Engineering and Environmental Science Department, Brianna Kelly.

The performance was a 70-minute bilingual edumusical showcasing the traditional bright colors and vibrant costumes of the Venice Carnival, as well as the Southern Italian folk dancing tradition of Tarantella. Junior high and high school students from different parts of New York also actively participated in the storytelling experience as part of their schools’ language curricula.

In the performance of Caccia al Tesoro, the Italian Fairy (Simona Rodano), Pulcinella (Giuseppe Agostaro), and Arlecchino (Pasqualino Beltempo) take the audience on a treasure hunt in which the reward is ultimately peace and joy. The oddness of Pulcinella and light-heartedness of Arlecchino underscore the divide in their relationship throughout the performance, and the Italian Fairy tries to bridge and make peace between the two characters.

Looking back on her time at CSI, Kelly, who was a double major in Mechanical Engineering Science and Italian Studies, said she enjoyed her time as a student at CSI and in many ways she believes her experiences at the College have been beneficial to her opportunities afterward.

“The Involvement in the World Languages Department was super helpful for me to navigate opportunities such as the show I’m currently a part of,” said Kelly.

She also mentioned how her character and the person she is today have been positively impacted by the time she spent at CSI. Kelly says that her positive experiences in departments like the ones she has been involved in and especially the Engineering and Environmental Science Department that she is in now, made her decision to become a faculty member at CSI easy. As a former student, she expressed happiness with her tenure as a student although she wishes she had been more involved and aware about events that were happening on campus. This seems like a full-circle moment for Kelly, because she had the opportunity to participate in an impactful events on campus as a faculty member, even though she feels she missed out on participating as a student.

Similar to the theme of Caccia al Tesoros Treasure Hunt for peace, Kelly relates strongly to the search for peace as an artist. Due to the serenity of aerialist/trapeze artistry, the nature of the creative process is individualistic and allows Kelly to seek peace within herself. Furthermore, she finds peace while being welcomed within the common community of circus performers.

“As an aerialist/trapeze artist, I strongly relate to the theme of searching for peace, not only as an individual artist working and creating alone, because this means you look for peace within yourself,” said Kelly. “I am also always exposed to many different people with different personalities and it is very refreshing to be welcomed.”

Speaking to Kelly after the performance of Caccia al Tesoro, you would be able to notice the look of relief as well as the excitement after performing in a show in front of hundreds of students. As a former CSI student and now faculty member, it’s a special opportunity to give back to the CSI community and especially to herself. Her humbleness and gratitude for the job that she and her castmates had done was also noticeable, as were her flexible feats during the performance on the aerial rig that she and many others were appreciative of as well.

By Kyle Cicero