HISTORY OF THEATRE AND PERFORMING ARTS

Università degli Studi
"G. d'Annunzio"

Chieti - Pescara

Single discipline educational activity

Course Sheet

Course code:

LT0240

Academic Year of enrolment:

2023

Year of supply:

2023/2024

Type of Course:

Characterising

Degree:

Course of 1st Cycle Degree in HUMANITIES

Disciplinary Sector:

Performing Arts

Location:

CHIETI

Credits:

Programme Year:

Professor and Collaborators:

SPINELLI LEONARDO

Cycle:

Second semester

Hours of classroom activity:

Individual study hours:

162

Prerequisites:

No Type.

Objectives

The course contributes to reaching the educational objectives of the degree course in Literature. It provides the preparatory skills in History of Theatre.

Knowledge and Understanding
At the end of the course, students should know the historical evolution of the discipline, as well as being able to distinguish the main constitutive parts of the theatrical event, also in its relative technical and technological aspects: dramaturgy, acting, set design, theatre spaces, patronage and production systems. They must also be able to distinguish the main types of theatre sources (iconographic, printed and audiovisual), also with the aim of understanding the preservation and enhancement processes of cultural heritage.

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
On completion of the course students should be able to:
- conduct specific analyses on the different theatrical forms and the relative artistic products, placing them correctly in the era and cultural context to which they belong.
- orient themselves in an archive and examine the sources correctly.
- present themes and contents related to theatrical events, both in oral and written form.

Critical thinking skills
Students will have to understand the History of Western Theatre and its fundamental themes and stylistic codes, with particular reference to the periods investigated during the lectures.

Communication skills
Students will have to use the correct theatrical vocabulary.

Learning Ability
On completion of the course students must have developed the ability to orient themselves autonomously in research and in-depth study in the theatrical field.

Contents

MODULE I: From the Commedia dell’Arte to Carlo Goldoni.

MODULE II: Theatre in Prison: the Study Cases of Rebibbia and Volterra.

Extended Syllabus

MODULE I (6 CFU): From the Commedia dell’Arte to Carlo Goldoni.

The theatrical events will be analysed within the complex framework that makes up their constitutive elements (actors, spaces, dramaturgy, audience) and in relation to their cultural, social and productive contexts.
After some outlines of the history of performing arts from Ancient world to the Medieval age, the following topics will be taken into consideration:
- The Italian Theatre in the Renaissance.
- The Commedia dell'Arte: geography and protagonists.
- Goldoni's reform: from the Commedia dell'Arte to modern theatre.

MODULE II (3CFU): Theatre in Prison: the Study Cases of Rebibbia and Volterra.

The lessons will focus on the study of the following topics:
1. Elements of Educational and Community Theatre.
2. The Italian Law on Theatre in Prison.
3. Convict Performances in the Italian Prisons: from William Shakespeare to Jean Genet.

Recommended Bibliography

MODULE I (6 cfu)
Lecture notes (the audiovisual documents shown and discussed during the lessons will be freely distributed to the students).

F. CRUCIANI, Il teatro che abbiamo in mente. Appunti per un architetto, in «Teatro e Storia», a. VII, n. 1, aprile 1992, pp. 19-25.

R. TESSARI, Il mercato delle Maschere, in Storia del teatro moderno e contemporaneo, ed. directed by R. ALONGE e G. DAVICO BONINO, vol. I: La nascita del teatro moderno. Cinquecento-Seicento, Einaudi, Torino, 2000, pp. 119-172.

L. ZORZI, I luoghi e le forme dello spettacolo, in S. FERRONE-L. ZORZI-G. INNAMORATI, Il teatro nel Cinquecento. I luoghi, i testi e gli attori, Perugia, Morlacchi Editore, 2006, pp. V-55. The contents of the DVD “Teatri d’Italia” make up the exam topic.

S. FERRONE, La vita e il teatro di Carlo Goldoni, Venezia, Marsilio, 2011, , pp. 7-133 e 183-192.

It is also required to read the following plays: “Mandragola” by Niccolò Machiavelli; “La locandiera” by Carlo Goldoni.

Non-attending students should also study the following essays:

S. MAZZONI, Genealogia e vicende della famiglia Andreini, in Origini della Commedia Improvvisa o dell'Arte. Atti del convegno di studi (Roma-Anagni, 12-15 ottobre 1995), a cura di M. Chiabò e F. Doglio, Roma, Torre d’Orfeo, 1996, pp. 107-152.

L. SPINELLI, Cantar fuori porta. Storia, spettacoli e protagonisti del teatro mediceo di Pratolino (1679-1710), Firenze, Polistampa, 2020.

Module II (3 cfu)
M. DE MARINIS, Armando Punzo e la Compagnia della Fortezza: oltre il teatro carcere, in M. De Marinis, Ripensare il Novecento teatrale. Paesaggi e spaesamenti, Roma, Bulzoni, 2018, pp. 299-318.

F. PERRELLI, Intervista ad Armando Punzo, in «Il castello di Elsinore», XXXIII, 82, 2020, pp. 103-105.

E. DI FABIO, Catarsi, dalla Polis al penitenziario. Intervista a Fabio Cavalli, in «Archivio, il teatro della democrazia», VIII, 3, 2015.

Non-attending students should also study the following volume:
A. FRATTALI, “Santo Genet” da Genet per la Compagnia della Fortezza, Pisa, ETS, 2019, pp. 9-90.

Teaching Methods

Lectures: 63 hours (42+21). Seminars may also be organized. The lessons are supported by multimedia instruments, such as slides and videos.

One lesson a week will be dedicated to a workshop on historical sources for the study of the Theatre.

Evaluation methods

Verification of learning:

The final assessment consists of an oral exam on the entire syllabus, with the final grade being given out of 30. The aim is to assess students’ skills and in particular, their understanding of the issues discussed during the course and if they have an appropriate knowledge of the course bibliography. Critical and methodological abilities will also be evaluated, as well as their use of appropriate lexicon and clear presentation skills. The grading scale goes from 1 to 30 with honours (cum laude): 1-17 fail, 18-21 sufficient, 22-24 fair, 25-27 good, 28-29 very good, 30-30 with honours (cum laude) excellent.

Contacts/More Information

For more information write to leonardo.spinelli@unich.it

Università degli Studi
"G. d'Annunzio"

Chieti - Pescara

Aree