GAZETTE STAFF / NEW  YORK CITY

taten Island director Bill Conte, with the collaboration of a variety local artists will be presenting a free theatrical event on the Boardwalk at Midland Beach (which is located near Miller Field) during the weekends of Aug. 3- Sept 2 and Sept 07-09.

"Paradiso" is a play based on the third part of Dante Aligheri's epic poem (the first part, "Inferno", is the best known), which was converted by Conte into a dramatic setting that will include orchestral music, dance and puppeteering.

The music, which will be performed live in the opening and closing nights of the event, was composed by Staten Island resident Wolfe Gregory Nissen, who spoke to us on a recent telephone interview.

Nissen, who will also be conducting a 9-piece orchestra during the live performances, told me he is very thrilled with the opportunity of sharing his art with his fellow Islanders. As he said, "Paradiso is really a rare opportunity for people who rely on TV and video entertainment, and a free performance like this is very rare on Staten Island. Such a performance surely goes against the current tide of electronic entertainment that dominates the industry these days."

"A whole lot of energy has gone into an ambitious show", Nissen went on, "which was partially funded by a grant from the Staten Island Council For The Arts and Humanities (COAHSI), but this is basically an event done simply for the love of art."

A lot of people have volunteered their time and talent to the make the event possible , including the musicians who participated on the recording of the music and who will be also performing live at the event - and volunteers are still being accepted to help to make the production better for the public.

Other people who are collaborating with the event are Staten Islander puppeteer Veronica Rodriguez-Masucchi, and sculptor Douglas Schwartz, who made natural wood sculptures that are integral parts of the scenery.

"Paradiso" culminates a six-year effort by Bill Conte to translate Dante's poetry to the stage. Previous installments have been performed over the years - both in Staten Island and in Brooklyn by the Theatre

San Greal Company.

In this installment, Conte chose to use the beach instead of the conventional stages previously utilized. According to Nissen, "Bill believes that it made most sense, since a lot of the imagery of the poem and setting have to do with the beach."

As for the music, Nissen tells us that he carefully and lovingly composed an "impressionistic and dramatic combination of electric and acoustic orchestral instrumental music - quite an innovative approach to theatre that is not very common these days."

Although "Paradiso" is basically Conte's brainchild,the final result is pretty much a joint effort. "Bill Conte has a deep respect for a collaborative process - he gave complete artistic freedom to puppeteers, musicians and the like to use their own ideas - which can give quite positive results."

For those who plan to attend the event by using public transportation, the site of the play can be reached by taking the S51 bus to Midland Beach from The St. George Ferry Terminal. The play is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM during its full run.

If you are coming from Brooklyn, an option is to take the R train to 86th Street, change to the S53 bus and transfer to the S 51.

It is also good to remember that on weekends The Staten Island Ferry only makes hourly trips after 7:30 PM(there only are boats every 30 minutes between 11:00 AM and 7:30 PM).

For additional information and to volunteer in the production, Bill Conte can be contacted at 718-876 9305.