Nuovo Orizzonte ***

In 1904, the steamboat General Slocum caught fire and sank on the New York River, resulting in the deaths of more than a thousand people. At the time, it was one of the worst peacetime maritime disasters in history. The event made a profound impression on a passerby – Trudy Ederle’s mother, Anna.

Many of the deaths were preventable. Although the boat was relatively close to shore, women at that time had been discouraged or even prevented from swimming, as it was deemed unseemly. Most of the casualties were women and children.

Anna was determined that her children would not suffer the same fate. Despite nearly dying from measles as an infant – and suffering lifelong hearing loss as a result – Trudy Ederle eventually became a champion swimmer.

There were the usual barriers of the era, swimming being just another activity in which women were hamstrung by the patriarchy. Despite initial reservations, the Women’s Swimming Association coach, Happy Epstein, allowed her to train. She flourished, representing the USA at the 1924 Olympics, where she won a gold and two bronze medals.

Ederle wanted to swim the English Channel. She was assigned a coach, Jabez Wolffe, who had unsuccessfully attempted the crossing many times. Those failures left their mark, and he seemingly resented the idea of being outshone by a woman. He sought to undermine Ederle in various ways, including trying to insist that she swim breaststroke rather than the more efficient crawl. On her first attempt, he allegedly poisoned her at sea and then stole the limelight by ‘saving her life’.

Once rid of the now disgraced Wolffe, Ederle not only became the first woman to cross the Channel but also smashed the previous world record in the process. She returned to a hero’s reception in New York.

Nuovo Orizzonte (New Horizon) is written, directed and performed with charm by Alessandra Donati at the excellent Catania Fringe. The production blends engaging and dramatic storytelling, song, character work and multimedia projection. Ederle’s history is fascinating and is eloquently brought to life by Donati’s skilful and charismatic portrayal.

The structure and staging of the production could, however, be improved. The multimedia backdrop often mirrored Donati and was not always synchronised; it was unclear if this was intentional. The purpose of much of the mirroring was opaque, although its use as a historical backdrop worked well. Floorwork in an unraked space might also be reconsidered. Already good, there is a very strong show waiting to emerge.

This 20th-century tale is not just Ederle’s, of course. It is emblematic of the struggle towards emancipation and suffrage – women pushing back against a patriarchally dominated society. In this sense, Nuovo Orizzonte is nothing less than inspirational.