28147 - History of Acting (1) (2nd cycle)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the Course the student will have acquired knowledge about the theory and practice of the art of acting in history, particularly in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and in the contemporary world; - skills for the study and analysis of both reciting and performing modes of past and present; - methodological tools for reading the sources also from the point of view of the gender.

Course contents

AN OVERVIEW OF NINETEENTH AND TWENTIETH CENTURY THEATRE THROUGH THE FIGURES OF SOME GREAT ITALIAN ACTRESSES

The course aims to offer a new reading of the theatre in the last two centuries from the angle of Women’s History and of the category of gender. Actors were the absolute protagonists of nineteenth-century theatre; yet in no other century were actresses so central as on-stage protagonists and pivotal representatives of a new social model. This is clearly shown, as we shall see, by the lives of the lead actresses and actress-managers of the time: from Carlotta Marchionni, the first ‘modern’ actress, to the great Adelaide Ristori, from feminist Giacinta Pezzana to Eleonora Duse, who blazed a trail into the most advanced twentieth-century innovations. The twentieth century brought ground-breaking theories and the increased importance of directors, which came to the fore in Italy only after the First World War in a deeply changed context that saw a curtailing of the autonomy of actors and actresses. To look back onto that century from their point of view is as important as it is complex. We shall endeavour to do so by analysing the figures of three foremost actresses and structuring our work into three phases: the early century crisis and the fascist years; the redefinition initiated by directors’ preponderance; and the shock produced by the Nuovo Teatro and its outcome in the new millennium.

Course begins April 3, 2024

Timetable: Wednesdays , Thursdays, Fridays 15-17h (Aula Donatoni)

Readings/Bibliography

Laura Mariani, L’Ottocento delle attrici. Da Carlotta Marchionni a Eleonora Duse (Rome: Viella, 2024.)

As the course unfolds, suggestions will also be made as to various other essays on twentieth-century actresses.

Required reading for students unable to attend in person shall also include Claudio Meldolesi, Fra Totò e Gadda. Sei invenzioni sprecate del teatro italiano (Imola: Cuepress, 2024).

 

Teaching methods

Lectures and seminars, particularly about finding and reading various source texts. Formation of working groups. In-house projection of films and video recordings, meeting artists.

Assessment methods

The final oral exam will assess the basic knowledge of the subject from a historical, theoretical and methodological point of view. The ability to analyze the performance of an actor starting from images, texts and live experiences will be verified and participation in group work and possible papers produced will also be evaluated.

Teaching tools

These include face-to-face lessons accompanied by audiovisual materials, working groups, meetings with artists and watching performances.

Office hours

See the website of Anna Laura Mariani