96449 - Laboratory of Theatrical Direction (1)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the laboratory the student: acquires elements of directing practice, identifying the possibilities of mutual development and interpenetration; learns to relate to the different operational levels of the theatrical performance (actors, figurative and textual spatial); analyzes the essential structures of the compositional process, having the tools to follow transformations and interactions.

Course contents

Observing, Analyzing, Understanding Directorial Processes: An Investigation into Contemporary Theatre

Theatre directing has undoubtedly been at the crossroads of the revolutions that, in the 20th century, contributed to the renewal of theatre and its meaning. It marked a turning point for those who sought to reimagine and reinvent theatre, becoming a key function embedded within the system and gaining hegemony over the production and subsequent distribution of performances, sometimes to the detriment of other creative components. In the current landscape, it seems worthwhile to view directing as a set of processes where various forms of authorship contribute to the creation of meaning: actors and acting, texts, music, sets, and so on.

Building on these considerations, the workshop unfolds through two interrelated phases:

1. Introduction to the concept of directing, with particular reference to the second half of the 20th century and recent years.

2. Field investigation: contemporary directorial forms and processes. In this part of the workshop, we will examine a number of performances and poetics, focusing particularly on artists in the city of Bologna. Several directors will be invited to offer students seminar sessions to explore their respective poetics and share some of their "directorial dilemmas."

The schedule for the second part of the course will be organized by dedicating some lessons to different directorial processes, which will be defined in the first weeks of September, after the final publication of the 2025/2026 theater season calendars.

Readings/Bibliography

Attending students:

• Marco De Marinis, Regia e post-regia: dalla messa in scena all’opera contenitore, in Claudio Longhi (ed), La regia in Italia, oggi. Per Luca Ronconi, monographic issue "Culture Teatrali", 25, 2016, pp. 66-79 (available on Virtual from the day the lectures start).
• Lorenzo Donati, Scrivere con la realtà. Oggetti teatrali non identificati 2000-19, Imola, Cue Press, 2023, only ch. Scrivere con la realtà, pp. 28-51 (available on Virtuale from the day the lectures begin).
• Lorenzo Mango, Il Novecento del teatro. Una storia, Roma, Carocci, 2019, only chapters 2, La regia, pp- 43-78; ch. 10, Il teatro di regia, pp. 259-283; ch. 12, La “fine del Novecento". Una definizione per una fase storica, pp. 307-334 (available on Virtuale from the day the lectures begin).
• Mirella Schino, Storia di una parola: fascismo e mutamenti di mentalità teatrale, «Teatro e storia», nuova serie 3-2011 [a. XXV vol. 32], pp. 169-212 (available on Virtuale from the day the lectures begin).

Non-attending students must add:

• Giovanna Zanlonghi, La regia teatrale nel secondo Novecento. Utopie, forme e pratiche, Roma, Carocci, 2023
  
  

It is also compulsory for non-attending students to see some plays (live or on video) to be agreed with the lecturer at least 30 days before the exam.

Teaching methods

Lectures also through the viewing of audiovisual materials (theatre performances);
practical-theoretical seminars led by external experts (directors);
group work for the drafting of texts resulting from the workshop.

Assessment methods

Attending Students

Depending on the total number of participants, students will be divided into groups. Each group will be tasked with compiling a dossier that records the workshop seminars, transcribing the meetings with the artists, and further investigating one or more "directorial problems" that arise during discussions. Each dossier, as a result of collective group work, will contribute to the final evaluation and serve as a starting point for an individual oral discussion.

The oral interview, lasting 15 to 20 minutes, will begin with the themes introduced in the dossier. It will assess the student's mastery of the directorial processes covered in the lectures, as well as explore some historical elements drawn from the course bibliography, which will be studied in depth during the lectures.

Non-Attending Students

In addition to the indicated bibliography, students who wish to take the exam as non-attending students are required to write a text based on a performance they have seen, focusing on the analysis of a central "directorial problem." Further details on the concept of the "directorial problem" will be available on Virtual starting from the beginning of the course. Candidates intending to take the exam as non-attending students must contact the lecturer 30 days before their desired examination date to agree on the specific programme.

An organic and personal vision of the proposed themes, combined with expressive mastery and language proficiency, and a willingness to engage in the challenges of the workshop activities, will be evaluated with excellent grades. Fair evaluations will be given to those with memorized knowledge, an unarticulated analytical capacity, or correct but not always appropriate language. Occasional gaps in subject mastery and a weak ability to synthesize the concept of "directorial process" itself will lead to sufficient grades. Finally, candidates with significant educational gaps, expressed through inappropriate language and an inability to analyze the directorial phenomenon and its processes, will be evaluated negatively.

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

The lectures will make use of audio-visual materials, printed, oral and media sources. Slides and diagrams will be regularly offered to support the lectures.
The Virtual e-learning platform for sharing study materials will be used regularly and continuously.

Office hours

See the website of Lorenzo Donati