96432 - History of Directing (1)

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide students with the following competences and skills: - Knowledge of the milestones in the history of stage direction; - Knowledge of the main historiographic and critical perspectives of studies in the field of stage direction; - Ability to use a method of investigation for the analysis of stage direction as an event.

Course contents

"Everything, right now, and whole".
Paths and Visions in Theatrical Direction

The course begins with a question that lies at the heart of modern theatre history: when did theatre directing emerge, and what transformations made its development necessary? From this starting point, the course traces a path from early nineteenth-century Paris through the experiments of Naturalism and Symbolism, from the theories of the re-theatricalizers to the radical poetics of the great twentieth-century directors.

The second part of the course focuses on Antigone by Jean Anouilh, examining the play, its author, its historical context, and its political interpretations, beginning with its premiere in occupied Paris in 1944. Through the study of the play's first staging, students will explore how an archetype can be transformed into a living theatrical event.

The final sessions are devoted to collective directing workshops based on Anouilh's Antigone, allowing students to put into practice the techniques, methods, and artistic perspectives developed throughout the course.

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is suggested that they get in touch as soon as possible with the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) and with the lecturer in order to seek together the most effective strategies for following the lessons and/or preparing for the examination.

Readings/Bibliography

Bibliography for Attending Students

- Il teatro di regia: genesi ed evoluzione (1870-1950), a cura di U. Artioli, Carocci, Roma 2004;

- J. Anouilh, Antigone, in Antigone. Variazioni sul mito, edited by Maria Grazia Ciani, Marsilio, Venezia 2000;

- Handout consisting of extracts from plays analysed during lectures;

- Lecture notes.

In addition, students must choose one text from the following list:

- A. Antoine, Il Théâtre-Libre e altri scritti, edited by Maria Grazia Porcelli, Dino Audino, Roma 2021;

- A. Appia, Attore, musica e scena, edited by Marrotti Ferruccio, Cue Press, Imola 2020;

- B. Brecht, Scritti teatrali, Einaudi, Torino 2001;

- J. Copeau, Il luogo del teatro. Antologia degli scritti, La Casa Usher, Firenze 1988;

- E. G. Craig, L’attore e la supermarionetta, in Edward Gordon Craig, Il mio teatro, edited by Ferruccio Marotti, Feltrinelli, Milano 1971;

- J. Grotowski, Il teatro povero, Bulzoni, Roma 1970;

- K. Stanislavskij, Le mie regie. Il gabbiano, Cue Press, Imola 2016.

Bibliography for Non-Attending Students

- R. Alonge, Il teatro dei registi. Scopritori di enigmi e poeti della scena, Laterza, Roma-Bari 2006;

- R. Alonge e R. Tessari, Lo spettacolo teatrale. Dal testo alla messinscena, LED, Milano 1996;

- Il teatro di regia: genesi ed evoluzione (1870-1950), a cura di U. Artioli, Carocci, Roma 2004;

In addition, students must choose two texts from the following list:

- A. Antoine, Il Théâtre-Libre e altri scritti, edited by Maria Grazia Porcelli, Dino Audino, Roma 2021;

- A. Appia, Attore, musica e scena, edited by Marrotti Ferruccio, Cue Press, Imola 2020;

- B. Brecht, Scritti teatrali, Einaudi, Torino 2001;

- J. Copeau, Il luogo del teatro. Antologia degli scritti, La Casa Usher, Firenze 1988;

- E. G. Craig, L’attore e la supermarionetta, in Edward Gordon Craig, Il mio teatro, edited by Ferruccio Marotti, Feltrinelli, Milano 1971;

- J. Grotowski, Il teatro povero, Bulzoni, Roma 1970;

- K. Stanislavskij, Le mie regie. Il gabbiano, Cue Press, Imola 2016.

Teaching methods

The course consists of lectures. Various examples of stage directions will be analysed during the through textual sources, iconographic materials and audiovisual documents. The active participation of the attending students will be solicited through classroom discussions. The lectures will occasionally include meetings with artists and scholars on topics close to those dealt with in the course.

Assessment methods

The final examination will consist of an oral interview that will focus on the topics covered in the lectures and on the texts in the bibliography in the case of those who attend; those who do not attend, on the other hand, will refer to the volumes indicated in the bibliography. The interview results in a grade in 30/30. No further papers are due before the oral examination interview. Active attendance of lectures is a relevant factor in the learning process and will therefore also influence the final assessment.

The learning of knowledge, the ability to analyse and synthesise, the organic view (and not the mechanical repetition) of the topics, lexical and expressive mastery, originality in the critical reworking of content will be taken into consideration for the assessment.

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

Lectures accompanied by videos, iconographic material, textual sources.

Office hours

See the website of Caterina Piccione