On July 8 in Rome, an evening organized by LaSpes ETS: culture and solidarity coming together to support research on rare genetic diseases
Some shows make you laugh; others make you think. The Mental Inferiority of Women, starring Veronica Pivetti with Cristian Ruiz, manages to do both, transforming the stage into a space for civil and cultural dialogue.
This production uses the language of theater to dismantle, with intelligence and irony, some of the most deeply rooted prejudices in contemporary history; on this occasion, it also serves as a concrete tool for solidarity in support of research on rare genetic diseases.
Loosely inspired by the treatise of the same name by the German neurologist Paul Julius Moebius, the monologue takes a critical look at some of the most famous and paradoxical pseudoscientific theories developed between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to support the alleged inferiority of women.
Through the writings of authors such as Paul Julius Moebius, Cesare Lombroso, and Sylvain Maréchal, Veronica Pivetti takes the audience on a surprising journey through beliefs that are unthinkable today but which influenced Western thought for decades, helping to legitimize discrimination and stereotypes.
The power of the show lies precisely in its ability to overturn those theories through the language of satire, music, and irony. With a brilliant and never trite style, the script transforms a document that symbolizes pseudoscience into an opportunity to reflect on the value of critical thinking, the evolution of rights, and the need to continue fighting all forms of discrimination.
The result is a monologue that alternates between lightheartedness and depth, laughter and awareness, engaging the audience in a reflection that remains extraordinarily relevant even today.
The cultural value of the work is intertwined, on this evening, with that of solidarity. The initiative is, in fact, sponsored by LaSpes ETS with the goal of raising funds to support research on rare genetic diseases.
All proceeds will go toward projects at the TIGET – San Raffaele Hospital in Milan and the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research, which are dedicated to studying primary immunodeficiencies and other rare diseases that affect many children and for which research often represents the only real hope for a cure.
This fusion of theater and charity makes the event even more meaningful: on the one hand, a performance that invites us to overcome prejudices through the power of culture, and on the other, a concrete gesture in support of science and research. For knowledge itself is the primary antidote to both discrimination and diseases that still lack definitive cures.
The event is scheduled for Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in the picturesque Garden of the San Salvatore in Lauro Monumental Complex, in the heart of Rome.
The evening will begin at 8:00 p.m. with a light welcome drink, while at 9:00 p.m. the curtain will rise on The Mental Inferiority of Women.
An opportunity to enjoy an evening of great theater and, at the same time, make a tangible contribution to research on rare genetic diseases, demonstrating how culture and solidarity can together generate value for the entire community.
