29019 - History of Directing (1) (2nd cycle)

Academic Year 2021/2022

  • Docente: Giacomo Pedini
  • Credits: 6
  • SSD: L-ART/05
  • Language: Italian

Course contents

Synchrony/Diachrony: who is directing the time?

Synchrony, dilation, frenzy, temptation to infinity, countdown: direction is continually called upon to confront the question of time, both understood as a creative category, with which to play, and as a conceptual and material challenge at the limits of theatrical experience. From the long staging of Reinhardt to the timeless immersions of Brook or Mnouchkine, from the thought on rhythm developed by Dalcroze and Appia to the comic-grotesque dilation of Marthaler, up to the frenetic game mechanisms of Rimini Protokoll and Roger Bernat or the infinite attempted spectacle by Ronconi and Wilson with Glass, there are numerous cases of single or collective directions that revolve around time.
This year's teaching, entitled Synchrony/Diachrony: who is directing time?, intends to start from these cases and from the material and philosophical problems linked to the Western notion of time, in order to study, in theoretical and practical terms, some fundamentals of directorial language.
After a first part in which, as usual, the main conceptual issues around directorial practice will be addressed - in theoretical and, partially, historical perspective -, with appropriate references and visions of the most relevant European theatrical and performance experiences of the Twentieth Century, in the second half of the course, using the theatre at DAMSLab, students, divided into groups, will be led to develop an original direction project.
In particular, this year's directing project, to be conducted in small groups, will let students start from different materials and addressing many kinds of approaches: it will be possible to choose whether to address the question of time by means of a story that thematizes and structures it narratively , or through a drama that, in its context, behaves in a similar way, or being influenced by a scientific essay, to be reshaped in a game and participatory logic.

 

Module I = first 30 hours
In the first module, after a brief introduction to the concept of stage direction, the analysis of the fundamentals of the directing language will be developed from a theoretical perspective. This is aimed to empirically give to the participants the knowledge of the fundamentals of the directing design.

 

Module II = following 30 hours
In the second module of the course, attending students will be guided to develop an original directing project. In particular, students will be able to choose one line of work among three kinds: 1) a project from a novel/narrative source; 2) a project from a drama source; 3) a project related to partecipating mechanisms or games, inside real spaces, urban or natural.

The 6cfu course unit consists of module I, while the 12 cfu course unit consists of the two modules.

 

 

Readings/Bibliography

A) Compulsory reading list both for students who attend the lessons and for those who do not (attending the lessons means attending at least 80% of them):

6 cfu course unit (Module I)

All students (whether attending the lessons or not) are required to study:

- E. Fischer-Lichte, Estetica del performativo. Una teoria del teatro e dell'arte [2004], a cura di T. Gusman, Roma, Carocci, 2014, pp. 41-277.

- L. Ronconi e G. Capitta, Teatro della conoscenza, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2012.

- G. Pedini, Sei racconti teatrali, Bologna, Patron, 2021.

- La regia teatrale in Italia, oggi. Per Luca Ronconi, a cura di C. Longhi, in «Culture Teatrali», 2016, n. 25 (numero monografico), pp. 7-136.

 

12 cfu course unit (Module I + Module II)

All students (whether attending the lessons or not) are required to study:

- E. Fischer-Lichte, Estetica del performativo. Una teoria del teatro e dell'arte [2004], a cura di T. Gusman, Roma, Carocci, 2014.

- L. Ronconi e G. Capitta, Teatro della conoscenza, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2012.

- G. Pedini, Sei racconti teatrali, Bologna, Patron, 2021.

- La regia teatrale in Italia, oggi. Per Luca Ronconi, a cura di C. Longhi, in «Culture Teatrali», 2016, n. 26 (numero monografico), pp. 7-136. 

- G. Stein, Drammi [1935], in Ead., Opere ultime e Drammi, Macerata, Liberlibri, 2010, pp. 3-28.

- G. Deleuze, Poscritto sulle società di controllo, in Id., Pourparler, Macerata, Quodlibet, 2000, pp. 234-241.

A book among these:

- T. Chiang, Storia della tua vita, in Id., Storie della tua vita, traduzione di C. Pastore, Milano, Frassinelli, 2018, pp. 104-164.

- R. Spregelburd, La cocciutaggine, in Id., Eptalogia di Hieronymus Bosch II, Torino, Einaudi, 2017, pp. 191-317.

- C. Rovelli, L'ordine del tempo, Milano, Adelphi, 2017.

The book chosen is related to the project of direction.


Some changes in this bibliography will be possible after the beginning of lessons.


B) For both the 6 cfu course unit (Module I) and the 12 cfu one (Module I + Module II), both students who attend the lessons and students who do not are furthermore required to study a text of their choice among the following:

1) Luca Ronconi: prove di autobiografia, a cura di G. Agosti, Milano, Feltrinelli, 2019

2) A. Antoine, I miei ricordi sul Teatro Libero, Roma-Milano, Mondadori, 1923.

3) A. Appia, Attore, musica e scena, Imola (BO), Cuepress, 2015.

4) A. Artaud, «Il teatro e il suo doppio» con altri scritti teatrali, Torino, Einaudi, 1968.

5) B. Brecht, Scritti teatrali, Torino, Einaudi, 2001.

6) P. Brook, Lo spazio vuoto, Roma, Bulzoni, 1998.

7) Christoph Marthaler. Haushalts Ritual der Selbstvergessenheit, a cura di S. Carp, C. Marthaler e M. Ubenauf, Berlino, Theater der Zeit, 2014.

8) R.Castellucci, C. Guidi, C. Castellucci, Epopea della polvere, Milano, Ubulibri, 2001.

9) J. Copeau, Artigiani di una tradizione vivente, Firenze, La casa Usher, 2009.

10) Everything and Other Performance Texts from Germany, a cura di M. Cornish, Kolkata, Seagull, 2019.

11) G. Craig, L'arte del teatro. Il mio teatro, a cura di F. Marotti, Imola (BO), Cuepress, 2016.

12) S. M. Ejzenstejn, Il movimento espressivo. Scritti sul teatro, Venezia, Marsilio, 1998.

13) J. Grotowski, Per un teatro povero, Roma, Bulzoni, 1970.

14) V. E. Mejerchol´d, L'attore biomeccanico, Milano, Ubulibri, 1993.

15) T. Ostermeier, Il teatro e la paura, Milano-Bologna, Sossella, 2020.

16) E. Piscator, Il teatro politico, Torino, Einaudi, 1960.

17) Il teatro di Trionfo, a cura di F. Quadri, Milano, Ubulibri, 2002.

18) M. Rau, Realismo globale, Imola (BO), Cuepress, 2019.

19) M. Shevtsova, Robert Wilson, Londra-New York, Routledge, 2019.

20) R. Spregelburd, Il teatro, la vita e altre catastrofi, Roma, Bulzoni, 2014.

21) L. Squarzina, Il romanzo della regia, Ospedaletto (Pisa), Pacini, 2005.

22) K. Stanislavskij, Il lavoro dell'attore su se stesso, a cura di G. Guerrieri, prefazione di F. Malcovati, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2003.

23) K. Stanislavsikij, Il lavoro dell'attore sul personaggio, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 1988.

24) G. Strehler, Per un teatro umano: pensieri scritti, parlati e attuati, Milano, Feltrinelli, 1974.

25) E. B. Vachtangov, Il sistema e l’eccezione: taccuini, lettere, diari, Pisa, ETS, 2004.

 

For both the 6 cfu course unit (Module I) and the 12 cfu one (Module I + Module II), only students who attend less than 80% of the lessons are furthermore required to study a second text of their choice among the list above.

N.B.: any change of this programme must be discussed with the teacher.

 

Other materials can be put on-line after the beginning of lessons.

 

Who needs some knowledge about history of direction can read also:

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

- Il teatro di regia: genesi ed evoluzione (1870-1950) [2004], ed. by U. Artioli, Roma, Carocci, 2018.

- L. Mango, Il Novecento del teatro. Una storia, Roma, Carocci, 2019.

- M. Schino, La nascita della regia teatrale, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2003.

Teaching methods

The course will start on Tuesday 21st September and it will end on Wednesday 15th December.

Lessons will be scheduled on Monday (3-5pm), Tuesday (9-11am) and Wednesday (9-11am).

The week 1-7th November will be a teaching pause.

The lessons in attendance will be held at Aula Ferrero and theatre at DAMSLab.
In particular lessons in theatre at DAMSLab in via Azzo Gardino 65/a will be held in these days:
- 8, 9, 22, 23, 29, 30 November;
- 6, 7, 13, 14, 15 December.

It is recommended to look at timetable and the teacher's page once a week, for the necessary calendar updates during the teaching period.

The course includes a mix of lectures, seminar discussions and practice of direction in group. The groups will be defined during the first week of lessons in remote.


Compatibly with the health situation, it is also possible to attend at theatrical performances scheduled during the lessons.
Finally, as possible, directors/playwrights/actors will be invited for short testimony speeches.

Assessment methods

I module 6 cfu:

The final examination consists of:

1) an oral examination on the topics covered during the class and on the books read by the students among those quoted in bibliography;

2) the presentation of a written essay on a director as case of study, starting from one of the reading choices of the students, among those volumes quoted in bibliography. The essay should not exceed 20,000 characters (including spaces) and it should be delivered to the teacher, preferably by e-mail, at least two days before the date on which the student intends to take the final assessment.

The oral examination serves to evaluate the complex of knowledge and critical skills gained by the student, through attendance of the class and (/ or in the case of non-attending students) through reading the materials listed in the bibliography. At the same time the oral examination will serve as well to evaluate the grasp by the student of the main study tools useful to make a reflection on the issues regarding direction, as well as student's ability to place these issues within a broader theatrical horizon as well as within the general system of the humanities.

The written essay is aimed to assess the student's ability to grasp the crucial aspects of a director's work, knowing how to make critical and interpretive choices also in light of a wider historic-theatrical horizon and above all in relation to the state of direction in today's context.

The oral examination and written essay will be evaluated jointly and in a unified manner, as they are two modes to highlight, from the student, the knowledge accrued during the class and the ability to use them in an original way.

If one or more plagiarisms are found inside the written essay, the final examination cannot take place.

Note: if any of the contributions included in the bibliography have not been studied by the candidate (without a prior agreement with the professor) the test will be immediately interrupted and cancelled.

 

I+II modules 12 cfu:

The final examination consists of:

1) an oral examination on the topics covered during the class and on the books read by the students among those quoted in bibliography;

2) the presentation of a written essay on a director as case of study, starting from one of the reading choices of the students, among those volumes quoted in bibliography. The essay should not exceed 20,000 characters (including spaces) and it should be delivered to the teacher, preferably by e-mail, at least two days before the date on which the student intends to take the final assessment;

3) in the presentation of a project of direction developed during the course for students who attend or elaborated on a dramaturgical score to be agreed with the teacher for non-attending students, to be delivered to the teacher, preferably by e-mail, at least two days before the date on which the student intends to take the final assessment.

The oral examination serves to evaluate the complex of knowledge and critical skills gained by the student, through attendance of the class and (/ or in the case of non-attending students) through reading the materials listed in the bibliography. At the same time the oral examination will serve as well to evaluate the grasp by the student of the main study tools useful to make a reflection on the issues regarding direction, as well as student's ability to place these issues within a broader theatrical horizon as well as within the general system of the humanities.

The written essay is aimed to assess the student's ability to grasp the crucial aspects of a director's work, knowing how to make critical and interpretive choices also in light of a wider historic-theatrical horizon and above all in relation to the state of direction in today's context.

The project of direction is aimed to assess the acquisition and the ability to re-elaborate, by the student, the main knowledge of the language of direction, as well as the ability to develop an organic and complex thought with the language of directing. It is also aimed to assess the ability of the student to know how to compare with the material conditioning given to the director.

The oral examination, written essay and project of direction will be evaluated jointly and in a unified manner, as they are three modes to highlight, from the student, the knowledge accrued during the class and the ability to use them in an original way.

If one or more plagiarisms are found inside the written essay or project of direction, the final examination cannot take place.

Note: if any of the contributions included in the bibliography have not been studied by the candidate (without a prior agreement with the professor) the test will be immediately interrupted and cancelled.

Teaching tools

Iconographic and video materials will be screened during the lessons. Additional text materials will always be read during the course of lessons. Shows and similar will be proposed to the students, as well as the relative calendar and the modalities of participation, during the lesson period.
It is obvious that the attendance to shows and performances will be considered in relation to the present health alarm.
The use of DAMSLab spaces, in particular its theatre, is one of the main theaching tools.

Office hours

See the website of Giacomo Pedini

SDGs

Quality education Gender equality Sustainable cities

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