A Message from the Writer

Alto writer Mikki del Monico took a minute to reflect and share her feelings about the film. Enjoy!


When I first conceived the opening scene of ALTO, I saw a young Francesca "Frankie" Del Vecchio, aged nine, seated at an upright piano plunking out the theme song for The Godfather, her family seated around her, smiles plastered on their too-proud faces.  Without warning, Frankie slams into a jazzed-up version of The Tarantella.  Finishing her big number, she turns around, expecting applause.  Her mother claps politely and says, "That's nice, honey, but did you have to finish it so ugly?"  "That's the Tarantella.  They dance to it in Italy to get the poisons out, like if you get bit by a spider or something."  "Well, honey, I keep a clean house.  We don't have spiders.  Why don't you play the first one again?"

Though the scene never made it into the finished script, it aptly represents the character dilemma that drove ALTO into existence: how do you maintain a sense of roots while differentiating yourself from your family?  How indeed.  It's a struggle that each of us manifests in as many different ways as there are human beings, and because of that, there is something universal about the drive, about the need to find a balance between connection and independence.

In thinking recently about ALTO, on a thematic level, I came to the conclusion that ALTO doesn't so much challenge the mob, per se, as it challenges a sort of "mob" mentality.  That's really what Frankie is fighting.  Her family, in this case, represents the real mob in her life, a kind of herd mentality, and her decision not to simply throw it off but to find her place within it, to define her own reality, to make her own home by finding a home first inside herself represents a willingness to engage rather than run from the questions of her life.

At the same time, I wanted to laugh about it all, because in the struggle to find a place for myself in my own family, I've learned that-- paradoxically--the looser I hold the reins of self-expression, the more free I become to find humor in the places of collision and to make of these places a soft landing pad for growth.

Let's do this thing (ha).

Updated Cast List

Hey Supporters!
Shake the Tree is happy to announce an updated cast. Click the names for more info on the actors!

Frankie del Vecchio:  Cara Buono  
Tony Cappelletti: John Lloyd Young 
Nicolette Bellafusco: Yancy Butler 
Cesare Bellafusco: Stephen Schnetzer 
Chinzano: Lou Martini Jr. 
Heather Del Vecchio: Ellora deCarlo
Sonny Gagoots: Arthur Nascarella 
Vince D’Amico: Federico Castelluccio  
Little Gino Roma: Gabriel Vaughan  
Kat Tommasino: Katy Ostrander  
Mrs. Montessano: Alice Spivak  
FBI Agent Loughlin: Toni D’Antonio   
FBI Agent Ledoux: Mark Dobies  
Traitor: Damien Di Paola
The Bellas: Stephanie Venditto  
              Cynthia Leigh Young  
              Melanie Minichino  
              Darlene Violette  



Don't forget to check Twitter (@shakethetreenyc) for the latest updates on the project.