Alessandra Donati on ‘Nuovo Orizzonte’ at Theatro Technis
After the success of our 2025 Camden Fringe Interviews, we thought it only right to attempt a repeat for 2026. So throughout July we’ll be publishing new interviews each day to give a taste of what to expect from London’s best fringe theatre festival. The festival starts Monday 3 August this year, so we may give ourselves a couple of days off inbetween the end of the interviews and the first shows… then again, we might not.
You can find out more about Camden Fringe, along with details of every show playing this August here. You can also find all of this year’s interviews as they are published here.
On the evening of August 6th, 1926, Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle stepped out of the freezing, grease-slicked waves of the English Channel and onto the British coast, becoming the first woman in history to complete the heroic swim, and shattering the men’s speed record by nearly two hours in the process.
Exactly one century later, to the very hour, Tuscan performer Alessandra Donati will step onto the stage at Theatro Technis for Camden Fringe 2026 to bring Ederle’s extraordinary story to life in Nuovo Orizzonte. Produced by TodoModoMusicAll & I Leggendari, this multimedia piece blends live-camera visual projections with a deeply personal story: Donati, who lives on the coast of Livorno, shares Ederle’s exact height of 1.53m, yet holds a deep fear of swimming.
We spoke with Alessandra about celebrating a historic feminist icon on her exact centenary, bridging the gap between Tuscan seas and English shores, and using theatre as a vehicle to declare that a woman belongs to no one but herself.
If you had to describe the vibe of Nuovo Orizzonte in just one sentence, what would it be?
A dream between sea and light, between strength and determination.
Why is 2026 the absolute perfect, non-negotiable moment for this show to be performed in London?
Because Nuovo Orizzonte tells the story of Trudy Ederle’s achievement, and the very day of the performance marks the centenary of her crossing: I’ll be on stage at Theatro Technis at around 9pm, roughly the hour she reached the British coast.
What was the personal “eureka moment” that made you realise you had to tell this specific story?
It was when I discovered that this incredible woman was exactly my height. You should know that, unlike Gertrude Ederle, I can’t swim. I love the sea, I live in Tuscany, in Livorno, right on the coast, but I’m afraid of the water, and I always thought this aversion was tied to my small frame.
Reading her story, I found out she was 1.53m tall… just like me! An extraordinary woman with great mental and physical strength, built through willpower and love of the sea.
Is this version how you originally envisioned it or has it changed drastically since you first put pen to paper?
I think with every performance, I unconsciously try to bring in new ideas and insights. A show is alive, and it can change organically each time it’s staged, including by listening to the audience’s feedback and reactions. I believe I still have a few ideas tucked away that haven’t made it to the stage yet.
What was it that drew you to this role?
Her courage and endurance. The courage that led this young woman to fight for her rights and the rights of all other women, the courage to face both polite society and the stormy waters of the Channel. A resistance both physical and mental, a tenacity that carried Trudy Ederle to her goal and pushed her own limits. Perhaps what drew me in most was Trudy’s deep love for the sea, the awareness of having found her own element, her own universe, which nothing could take from her… not even her illness (her deafness).
How does a solo fringe piece bring the scale of the English Channel into a theatre setting?
The show was conceived from the very beginning as an immersive multimedia piece. The backdrops are projected using visual set design, and we engineered a live-camera interplay on stage to capture real-time textures and bring the movement of the sea to life right in front of the audience.
The biggest technical challenge was marrying those video ideas with practical, real-world technical solutions on a tight fringe budget, as well as creating a seamless English subtitled version for UK audiences!
Though if reality and budget were no issue, I’d love a giant, transparent glass pool on stage so I could dive in and narrate every stroke to the audience… but that would be a completely pointless expense, considering I still can’t swim!
What lies on the horizon for the show after Camden Fringe concludes?
Nuovo Orizzonte will go in Milan to Milano Fringe Festival in next October and also in Cremona in “Acrobatiche teatrali” Festival in November.
What does “success” look like for you this August, beyond just selling tickets?
Managing to tell this wonderful story on the very day of the centenary of Trudy Ederle’s feat: a way of thanking and celebrating a brave, free woman who fought for women’s rights in a difficult period at the start of the 1900s, and who has inspired me both artistically and in life.
Today we’re also living through a difficult historical moment, especially in Italy, where women still have less support and recognition at work than men, for instance, or where the persistently high number of femicides cruelly shows how important it still is to affirm that a woman belongs to no one but herself.
Who would play you in the Hollywood adaptation of your future autobiography?
Salma Hayek
If you had to describe your show as a colour what would it be, and why?
Turquoise, and all its shades, the colour of the sea, and also my favourite colour.
If you could perform this show anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
Right here in London, on 6 August 2026!
If your show was a drink at the venue bar, what would be the ingredients?
A margarita! Salty and fresh!
What’s the most valuable piece of advice you’ve received during your career, and how has it influenced your work on this show?
Don’t be afraid of the blank page, just stand up and tell the story… from that moment on, write. It might sound obvious, but the show was born out of that very phrase!
Is there a final question missing that you feel we should be asking you?
Why am I such a masochist that I make myself face a costume fitting every single performance…
Many thanks to Alessandra for her time. Nuovo Orizzonte will play at Theatro Technis on Wednesday 5 and Thursday 6 August as part of Camden Fringe.
