La Befana's Table

About La Befana's Table

Born from Dina Gregory’s real-life experience animating a puppet of Italy’s legendary gift giver through the streets of NYC, La Befana’s Table is a gathering space for conversations that blend wisdom, humor, & heart. labefanastable.substack.com (https://labefanastable.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Dina Gregory

Category

education · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

22 Dec 2022

Latest episode

31 Mar 2026

Latest episodes

2 of 53 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   31 Mar 2026TRANSCRIPT

   🎙 Finding Our Voices & Each Other Through Ancient Songs with Maria & Francesco of Nìula

   Francesco and Maria met in Rome in 2023—not by swiping right, not through a mutual friend, but by singing together in a traditional songs workshop before they even exchanged names. In this conversation, we explore their journey from theatre to how they came together to form Nìula—a duo that offers modern reinterpretations of the traditional oral music of Southern Italy and the wider Mediterranean basin. Drawing from a repertoire of polyvocal songs, they compose original music that bridges the ancient and the contemporary, and connect us across time, place, and language.They lead concerts and singing workshops across Italy & online for both amateurs and professionals, focusing on the connective power of sound, the awareness of breath, and the rediscovery of each person’s unique voice. 🎧 Join us at La Befana’s Table and step into the mystery of Nìula’s music—and the story of two people finding each other through song. 📬 Get in Touch / Learn More🌐 Website: niula-cantidalsud.com/online-workshops-niula (https://www.niula-cantidalsud.com/online-workshops-niula)📸 Instagram: @niula.trad (https://www.instagram.com/niula.trad) ✨ Special Discount for La Befana’s Table listeners: Maria & Francesco are offering a discount on their upcoming singing workshops. 6 sessions1st April - 6th May 2026Wednesdays, 10:30 am - PDT / 1:30 pm - EDT / 7:30 pm - CEST Details are linked below—step into the sound and your own voice! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit labefanastable.substack.com/subscribe (https://labefanastable.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

2. 

   25 Feb 2026TRANSCRIPT

   🎙️ Commedia dell' Arte with Chiara Durazzini

   On this episode of La Befana’s Table, I welcome Chiara Durazzini — Florentine native, actor, director, educator, founder of Boston’s Pazzi Lazzi Troupe, and the beloved (and slightly mischievous) Befana di Boston. In celebration of Commedia dell’Arte Day (February 25th), Chiara brings us into the vibrant, irreverent, deeply human world of Commedia — a 16th-century Italian theatrical form that gave us archetypes still alive in today’s sitcoms, satire, and street performance. Together, we explore: * Why February 25, 1545 marks the birth of professional Western theatre * How Commedia introduced women performers to the stage * Archetypes like the Capitano and the clever servants that still show up in modern comedy * The political satire and improvisational spirit at the heart of Commedia * Why exaggeration, masks, and “being too much” can be deeply healing * The evolutionary joy of improvisation and play * And of course… how La Befana found her way to Boston (and YouTube) This conversation is about folklore, embodiment, creative courage, and the radical act of not taking ourselves too seriously — especially in absurd times. 🎭 About Chiara Durazzini Chiara Durazzini (she/her), a native of Florence, Italy, moved to Boston in 2000. She is the founder of: * Pazzi Lazzi Troupe — a Boston-based Commedia dell’Arte and Italian Renaissance music troupe for which she performs, teaches, and directs. * All’italiana – Boston Italian Theatre Company — staging works by Italian playwrights and offering acting labs in Italian for both native and non-native speakers. Chiara has written, acted in, and directed original works including: * Isabella Unmasked – The Legacy of an Italian Renaissance Woman (2017) * Pinocchio – A Commedia Adventure (2020) She has also staged celebrated plays including: * Oh These Ghosts by Eduardo De Filippo * La Giara – The Oil Jar by Luigi Pirandello Her performance credits include work with Company One Theatre and Apollinaire Theatre Company. She trained with actors of Odin Teatret and studied extensively Commedia dell’Arte with Master Claudia Contin Arlecchino in Pordenone, Italy. These days, she also dances with Salmadanse (directed by choreographer Joanie Block), works as an Italian voice-over artist and teacher — and, in secret (or not so secret anymore), she is the renowned Befana di Boston. She holds a Master’s degree in Art, Music and Theatre from the University of Bologna. 🔗 Connect with Chiara 🌐 www.pazzilazzitroupe.com (http://www.pazzilazzitroupe.com/)📘 https://www.facebook.com/PazziLazzi (https://www.facebook.com/PazziLazzi)📸 https://www.instagram.com/pazzilazzi/ (https://www.instagram.com/pazzilazzi/) If you are in the Boston area, look out for upcoming workshops, Commedia labs, and performances 💬 Table Talk Where might exaggeration, play, or improvisation soften something in your life right now? Upcoming Happenings Festa Della Donna is a Variety Show kicking off Women’s History Month celebrating Italian-American Female contributions to the Arts. It continues its 7th Year Tradition featuring the most talented Donne in Music, Dance, Comedy & Beyond. Don’t miss it! Doors at 2:30pm. Show at 3 Approx Running Time: 75 MinutesGenre: Classic Music, Italian Heritage, Storytelling Please Note: The venue has a 2-beverage minimum per person. #BeBefana Always be yourself. Unless you can be befana. Then #BeBefana Epiphanies, don’t arrive all at once. They arrive gently over time. They whisper to us—if we are paying attention. The #BeBefana campaign was born from listening to that whisper. Inspired by the ancient Italian legend of La Befana and my real life experience animating a puppet of this folkloric figure through the streets of New York City during the pandemic, the #BeBefana campaign is a quiet signal to ourselves and to others that another way of being—and doing—is possible. To #BeBefana is to believe that small, faithful acts matter. To sweep the floor, light the fire, offer welcome, leave a gift—and trust that in the darkest of days love persists, that our stories are never fully written, and that there is always room for a whimsical & wondrous plot twist. 10 percent of profits will be donated to the Young Center For Immigrant Children’s Rights. (https://www.theyoungcenter.org/) La Befana's Table is a reader/listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support the work of La Befana’s Table consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit labefanastable.substack.com/subscribe (https://labefanastable.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

3. 

   19 Jan 2026

   🎙️ Dreams & Defiance on the Dance Floor with Derrick Washington

   In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Dina sits down with Dr. Derrick León Washington—cultural anthropologist, curator, dancer, and human-rights advocate—to explore how Dr. King’s dream for humanity can be felt on the dance floor. Dr. Washington is the curator of Urban Stomp: Dreams & Defiance on the Dance Floor at the Museum of the City of New York, a groundbreaking exhibition tracing more than 200 years of social dance history and expanding who—and what—belongs in museum spaces. Together, Dina and Derrick reflect on the transformative power of movement, the cultural stories held within social dance, and how dancing can connect communities, transcend barriers, and affirm human dignity. Pull up a chair at La Befana’s Table for a conversation about freedom, joy, and belonging—expressed through the body in motion. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit labefanastable.substack.com/subscribe (https://labefanastable.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

Inside a recent episode

🎙 Finding Our Voices & Each Other Through Ancient Songs with Maria & Francesco of Nìula

Published 31 Mar 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] So how do you, what is that dance for you? First of all, we came from the theater. So the art of theater, stealing is a good thing. Yeah. Because it's not about invent something new that it's quite impossible, but it's about to put together the ingredients in another way. So this is the theater method. And speaking about tradition specifically, when you sing, just simply sing a song, it's very difficult to stay away of your own time. I don't know if I'm clear, no? It's really difficult to sing like I was born in 90s. I don't know, 1910, for example, 100 years ago. It's very difficult because in my years I have, I don't know, Pink Floyd, I have I have, I don't know, Maneskin, for example. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

31 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

11 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 44 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

57

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

77

Contact La Befana's Table

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about La Befana's Table