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B8711 - Theatres of Social Interaction (1) (LM)

Academic Year 2026/2027

                
                        Docente:
                        Rossella Nancy Maria Mazzaglia
                    
                        Credits:
                        6
                    
                        SSD:
                        PEMM-01/A
                    
                        Language:
                        Italian
                    
                        Teaching Mode:
                        In-person learning (entirely or partially)
                        
                            Campus:
                            Bologna
                        
                            Corso:
                            Second cycle degree programme (LM) in
                            Music and Theatre Studies (cod. 6737)

                                Also valid for
                                
                                    Second cycle degree programme (LM) in
                                    
                                        Italian Studies and European Literary Cultures (cod. 6689)
                                    
                                    Course Timetable
                                
from Feb 01, 2027 to Mar 10, 2027

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will learn the main historic and methodological articulations of the theatre applied to educational, sanitary and social contexts with different communities. In terms of skills, the knowledge acquired through the course will provide tools for a critical approach to one or more forms of socially-inclusive theatre.

Course contents

The course traces the major developments of Italian socially engaged theatre through the analysis of significant case studies drawn from educational, social, and healthcare settings. It examines the historical and methodological foundations of these experiences, exploring theatre as a site where artistic research, social engagement, and institutional contexts intersect. The course adopts the concept of the boundary as a critical framework for investigating processes of inclusion and exclusion, the dynamics of visibility and invisibility, and the relationships between individuals and communities. It also explores the ethics of theatre practice, examining the dynamic interplay between ethical commitments and aesthetic choices in performance practices developed within social contexts.

Readings/Bibliography

Students Attending the Course

(Defined as students who attend at least 12 of the 15 class meetings.)

Students who meet the attendance requirement are expected to complete the following readings:

Rossella Mazzaglia (ed.), Sfide di confine. AlmaDiamond, forthcoming. (Available from February 2027.)
Alessandro Pontremoli, Elementi di teatro educativo, sociale e di comunità. UTET, Turin, 2015. Required sections only: Preliminary Notes (pp. 5–10) and Chapter 4, Le tecniche del teatro sociale, through Section 4.5 (pp. 79–98).
Armando Punzo and Rossella Menna, Breviario di etica artistica. Arte, persone, istituzioni. Luca Sossella, Bologna, 2026.
Course slides and lecture notes, available on the course Virtuale page.

Students Not Attending the Course

Students who do not satisfy the attendance requirement are expected to complete the following program of study:

Rossella Mazzaglia (ed.), Sfide di confine. AlmaDiamond, forthcoming. (Available from February 2027.)
Alessandro Pontremoli, Elementi di teatro educativo, sociale e di comunità. UTET, Turin, 2015. Required sections: Introduction and Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 9. Students are required to study only the sections of these chapters indicated on the course Virtuale page.
Armando Punzo and Rossella Menna, Breviario di etica artistica. Arte, persone, istituzioni. Luca Sossella, Bologna, 2026.
Course slides, available on the course Virtuale page, including the complete viewing of all audiovisual excerpts referenced in the slides.
Complete viewing of In prospettiva. Dialoghi sul teatro #12: Armando Punzo. Conversation between the director Armando Punzo and Cristina Valenti, introduced by Rossella Mazzaglia as part of the In prospettiva. Dialoghi sul teatro series, curated by Gerardo Guccini, Claudio Longhi, and Rossella Mazzaglia, and produced by ERT and La Soffitta. The recording is available on YouTube.

Teaching methods

Lectures and seminars.

Assessment methods

The assessment is based on an oral exam with open questions.

Students are requested to identify artists and themes and to connect them to their historical, cultural and aesthetic context. They should prove to be able to make connections between the various sources.

Proper language and the ability to critically speak about the texts content will lead to a good/excellent final grade.

Acceptable language and the ability to resume the texts content will lead to a sufficient/fair grade.

Insufficient linguistic proficiency and fragmentary knowledge of the books' content will lead to a failure in passing the exam.

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is necessary to contact the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en ) with ample time in advance: the office will propose some adjustments, which must in any case be submitted 15 days in advance to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of these in relation to the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

During the classes, audio-visual sources and primary written, oral and media sources will be used. The e-learning page will also serve as a platform to share material and communications.

Office hours

See the website of Rossella Nancy Maria Mazzaglia

SDGs

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.