Once Upon a Time Plus

Tales with a myriad voices read in the original language by great personalities from all over the world, to make sure we don’t forget the pleasure of reading, from the fantastic to the theatrical. Once upon a time in the library was devised as a response to the exceptional closure of schools during lockdown in 2020 and 2021. The library staff and a number of famous actors from six different countries take turns in reading the most wonderful stories for children and adults in Italian, English and Russian.

 
“It was in the heart of the city, in a palace called Brera, a huge library founded by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria many years ago. The library was full of treasures. Rare books, manuscripts, letters, maps and drawings drew scholars and students from all over the city. One day, the dark cloud of disease swept over the country. All the schools, museums, theatres and even libraries had no option but to shut their doors. It was a sad and sorry time. Everyone was forced to stay at home, alone, worried and frightened. But just as manuscripts don’t burn, libraries don’t stop even when their doors are closed. So in Brera we decided to bring the library into people’s homes, to reach out to all the children who couldn’t go to school. The library began to read”.  James M. Bradburne