28126 - Theories and Cultures of Representation (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student will: acquire basic theorical-methodological tools for studying and understanding theatre facts, included those belonging to the field of music. The student also will: - acquire advanced knowledge about the study of theatre (musical theatre included) and theatre theory, that by now must go together with necessary intercultural and transcultural approach on live arts, and which must be able to integrate the contributions coming from "hard" sciences, of course beyond those from history and humanities; - command interdisciplinary theorical-methodological tools, necessary for future artistic, critical, organisational activities in the fields of live arts.

Course contents

Course title

On the nature of representation.
I. Survey on vision.

Course dates

Course start: 02 March 2020
Course end: 12 May 2020

Days:

Monday | Tuesday 11-13 a.m.

Wednesday 9-11 a.m.
Aula Cruciani, Via Barberia 4

Course Themes

The course is not intended to be a contribution to historiographic research, it stems rather from a need for thought, so the theme of knowledge arises from the study of the cognitive tool used: the theater.
Thinking of the Theatre is therefore equivalent to thinking of its foundations, cultivating them starting from the etymology that it reveals. To do the opposite would be like discarding the roots to cultivate the branches. For this reason, the course is addressed to the theatre and not to the theatres: thinking of the theatre does not give rise to a specialist discipline, nor to a vision of the world or to a "cultural value", but rather to a radical questioning that transforms man, in his existence, from the foundations. It is here that the encounter between Theatre and Philosophy is outlined, as a characteristic aspect of the course: they are two predicates of knowledge, two ways of leading existence.
Starting from a phenomenological and philosophical perspective, the aim of this courses is to analyze – through an exploration of the artistic production of the Romeo Castellucci|Societas Raffaello Sanzio, Teatro delle Albe, Teatro Valdoca, Simona Bertozzi, Cindy Van Acker o Heiner Goebbels and others – the aspects related to a definition of acoustic image. On the contemporary stage, forms, sounds and colors seem to arise a problem about the vision, they put it into question, and, after all, theatre is the place of the vision. So the point is to question what one sees at theatre: the epiphany of beings could be an answer. It is exactly in this sense that the acoustic image can emerge – and this dimension is composed by the electronic soundscape but the important aspect in this framework is the particularly use of the «theatre of voice» – like a texture of the scene that allows the visual optical image to take shape. The sound, just like the color, represents the scene’s temperature in order to re-orient the perceptive faculties of the audience becoming a sort of immersive sensation to be inhabited. From this standpoint, to talk about the atmosphere in theatrical sense is to consider some acoustic and chromatic elements that extend and persist by acting on all the points of the scenic device in a latent way. In this scenario, the composition is a tension between the visible and the invisible, between the audible and inaudible that is manifested on the scene as a magnetic field. I will argue that this analytic perspective changes the point of view and the methodology of looking at contemporary theatre and dance and ultimately also the concept of listening.

Readings/Bibliography

Bibliography  (12 CFU)

1)- E. Pitozzi, Acusma. Figura e voce nel teatro sonoro di Ermanna Montanari. Macerata, Quodlibet, 2017.

2)- E. Pitozzi (a cura di), Teatri del suono - numero monografico della rivista «Culture Teatrali», n. 27. Lucca, La casa Usher, 2018.

3)- P. Di Matteo (a cura di), Toccare il reale. L'arte di Romeo Castellucci. Napoli, Cronopio, 2015.

4)- Teatro Valdoca Album dei Giuramenti. Tavole dei Giuramenti, con testi di Lorella Barlaam e Mariangela Gualtieri e tavole di Cesare Ronconi, Macerata, Quodlibet, 2019

5)- Lesson notes.

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons with seminars. The module will take into account the theoretical, analytical and critical-operative contributions of both lecturer and students and it will be developed in two cross-related ways: the first part includes lessons on the theoretical part; the second will be developed as a seminar with a composition of lexicon of the notions discussed.

Other bibliographical indications, in a foreign language, will be provided and discussed during the course, so as to frame the issues raised in a broader analytical framework.
In-depth analyses and critical readings, as well as a card with an indication of the materials discussed during each lesson, will be uploaded to the IOL platform of the teaching.

Assessment methods

The evaluation of the course will be carried out according to the ways, timing and guidelines established by the course of study. It will be based on an oral interview. Students may also agree with the Lecturer to prepare an essay on the aspects developed within the module. The written text shall be approx 10 pages and shall be provided to the Lecturer one week before the oral test date. Evaluation will be according to the modes, timing and directive set up for the course and will be based on an oral test.

For students not attending the exam consists of an oral interview on the texts in the bibliography + the addition of this book:

V. Valentini (a cura di), Drammaturgie sonore, Roma, Bulzoni, 2012.

The final exam will be an oral one, with questions aimed to verify the student's knowledge of the themes discussing during frontal lectures (only for attending students) as well as those treated in the program's texts. Attending students may, alternatively, present a written work agreed with the teacher.

The assessment will concentrate particularly on the skill displayed by the student in handling the material in the exam bibliography and his ability to find and use information and examples to illustrate and correlate the various themes and problems addressed in the course.

The assessment will thus examine the student's:

- factual knowledge of the subject;

- ability to summarise and analyse themes and concepts;

- familiarity with the terminology associated with the subject and his ability to use it effectively.

Top marks will be awarded to a student displaying an overall understanding of the topics discussed during the lectures, combined with a critical approach to the material and a confident and effective use of the appropriate terminology (30 cum laude and 30).

Average marks will be awarded to a student who has memorized the main points of the material and is able to summarise them satisfactorily and provide an effective critical commentary, while failing to display a complete command of the appropriate terminology (29-27).

A mnemonic knowledge of the subject, together with the capacity for synthesis and analysis articulated in a correct language, but not always appropriate, will lead to discreet evaluations (26-24).

Gaps in training and/or imprecise language - albeit in a context of minimal knowledge of the examination material - will lead to sufficient marks (23-21).

Training gaps and/or imprecise language - albeit in a context of minimal knowledge of the examination material - will lead to just enough grades (20-18).

Insufficient training, inappropriate language, lack of orientation within the bibliographic material will be evaluated negatively (<18).

 

Teaching tools

Audiovisual material from theatre, digital archives; platforms and websites.

Office hours

See the website of Enrico Pitozzi