Research Interests:
Research Interests:
What happened to Italian theatre and Italian acting traditions during the fascist period? As the regime progressively aged, symptoms of impatience, and even disillusionment may be noted in the theatre. This was rather unexpected, given... more
What happened to Italian theatre and Italian acting traditions during the fascist period? As the regime progressively aged, symptoms of impatience, and even disillusionment may be noted in the theatre. This was rather unexpected, given Mussolini’s personal interest. Prose theatre becomes increasingly anaemic. The article explores the reasons for this; they were due more to a lack of respect and acknowledgement of values, rather than to actual changes or pressure enforced by the regime. The acting traditions, which had survived well into the twentieth century, fell apart without leaving any trace, any seed or heritage. The article is followed by two short reports, the first concerning three books that are fundamental for the memory of this period (Silvio d’Amico, Il teatro non deve morire; Sergio Tofano, Il teatro all’antica italiana, Lucio Ridenti, Teatro italiano tra le due guerre); the second on the implicit, unrecognised but important relationship between ‘mainstream’ theatre (prose theatre) and ‘secondary’ theatre (variety shows, cafés chantants, reviews, and even theatre in dialect).
Research Interests:
Some dossiers are a means to begin to assess the progress of ongoing research, others constitute a drawing board round which information may be shared and discussed. Ours is of the second type. It comprises seven essays, many “short... more
Some dossiers are a means to begin to assess the progress of ongoing research, others constitute a drawing board round which information may be shared and discussed. Ours is of the second type. It comprises seven essays, many “short reports” (focusing on significant details) and some other working documents, such as, for example, photographs. This is not a dossier on “Theatre and Fascism” (it does not deal with fascist initiatives concerning theatre), nor on “theatre between the two wars” (it does not discuss what happens to theatre or to dance independently of the historical context). It marks, on the contrary, the beginning of a research that aims to explore the situation of the theatres that were enclosed within the wall constituted by the fascist regime, by taking as a starting point a reverse point of view. It starts from the grassroots, from the point of view of the actors and spectators, rather than from the institutions or fascist ideology. We speak of theatres in the plural; theatre cultures that were very different to one another: from dance, to variety shows, to prose theatre. All are studied in parallel, in a comparative way, and this has allowed us to note unexpected connections. This research has been conducted by scholars coming from different universities, using different methodologies and points of view.