28136 - Theory of Direction (LM)

Learning outcomes

Fundamentals of Theatre Directing (LM)
For the purposes of the Fundamentals of Theatre Directing (1) classes, the concept of theatre directing will be considered as potentially referring to all forms of live performance, including musical theatre. At the end of the course unit, the students will know:
- the main theoretical and methodological aspects of directing, in connection with the artistic context of the theatre and with the framework of human sciences in general;
- the main study tools with which to set up a research on a director's work;
- the main practical steps in a director's creative process;
- the structural conditionings the director's work must face.
Moreover, they will be able to:
- employ the language of directing effectively;
- work out a mature and original critical thought on the art of staging and correctly carry out a research of their own, in the field of theatre directing, that makes use of various sources of information (documentary and not), intended to be presented either in writing or in spoken form;
- confront and solve the main problems posed by the actual staging of a production, specifically developing communicative and relational competence and skills and improving their creative talents;
- critically confront the structural conditionings that influence a director's work.

Course contents

Some see it as the last outpost of authentic and tragic action, constrained within an all-encompassing synthesis, others as an open, romantic space consecrated to an endless transiency: in the twentieth century – and in the first years of the new millennium – theatre lies ambiguously suspended between the absoluteness of myth and the mournful conditionality of history. Starting precisely from a careful exploration of the unresolved dialectics of metaphor and allegory, ritual and game, event and representation that characterises the whole range of developments through which the director's work has gone, the 2014-2015 Fundamentals of Theatre Directing course unit, entitled Directors' theatre between myth and history, will offer the students a theoretical and practical reflection on the ways in which directors structure their narrative frames, paying attention to what can be inherited from the past as much as to the enquiry into the possibilities the future may carry in this field. The various shapes of directors' poetics, hesitating between the flight into being outside time and the alluring flow of existence, will be outlined so as to offer the opportunity for an attempt, in a diachronic perspective, to reconsider the whole evolution of directors' theatre (from master directors to post-directors) and, in a synchronic one, to point out the main trends and the predominant styles of contemporary stage language. The course unit, aiming at both a theoretical investigation and a practical experience of the main problems of directing practices, will consist of a series of seminar lessons divided in two modules:

Module I = first 30 hours
During the first module, after a brief introduction to the concept of directing, the oscillation of directors' practices between myth and history will be addressed from a theoretical point of view; the analysis of the complex cultural debate on this subject will nevertheless be combined with practical field-work on some meaningful contemporary experiences, with the aim of making the participants acquire the basics of the director's planning work empirically.

Module II = following 30 hours
Students attending the second module will be guided in the development of a stage project aimed at  problematising the relationship between stage narrative, history and myth, and focusing on the theme of the “Great War”.

Module I begins = 2 February 2015
Module II begins = 9 March 2015

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

During the course, students are expected to be offered the possibility to take part in external performances and experiments.
Students who do not attend at least 80% of the lessons are required to study a specific programme approved by professor Longhi.

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:
   
- A. Sacchi, Il posto del re: estetiche della regia teatrale nel modernismo e nel contemporaneo, Roma, Bulzoni, 2012;
- A. Appia, Attore, musica e scena, a cura di F. Marotti, Milano, Feltrinelli, 1983;
- V. Mejerchol'd, La rivoluzione teatrale, a cura di D. Gavrilovich, Roma, Editori Riuniti, 2001.
- F. Nietzsche, La nascita della tragedia, Torino, Einaudi, 2009 (recommended edition);   
   
12 cfu course unit (Module I + Module II)
   
All students (whether attending the lessons or not) are required to study:
   
- A. Sacchi, Il posto del re: estetiche della regia teatrale nel modernismo e nel contemporaneo, Roma, Bulzoni, 2012;
- A. Appia, Attore, musica e scena, a cura di F. Marotti, Milano, Feltrinelli, 1983;
- V. Mejerchol'd, La rivoluzione teatrale, a cura di D. Gavrilovich, Roma, Editori Riuniti, 2001;
- F. Nietzsche, La nascita della tragedia, Torino, Einaudi, 2009 (recommended edition);

- L. Canfora, 1914 [2006], Palermo, Sellerio 2014;
- F. Illies, 1913. L'anno prima della tempesta, Venezia, Marsilio, 2013;
- F. Kraus, Gli ultimi giorni dell'umanità, Milano, Adelphi, 1980;
- R. Wagner, Il crepuscolo degli dei (for the libretto, see R. Wagner, Il crepuscolo degli dei, a cura di G. Manacorda, nuovamente riveduto da G. Cogni, Firenze, Sansoni, 1974);
- I. Stravinskij, L'histoire du Soldat (for the libretto, see C.F. Ramuz, Histoire du soldat, nella traduzione di A. Savinio, with a chapter from Souvenir sur Igor Strawinsky, in «Idra», III, 1992, n. 5, pp. 177-210).

It is actually possible to use any available Italian edition of the texts by Canfora and by Kraus.
   
For both the 6 cfu course unit (Module I) and the 12 cfu one (Module I + Module II), both students attending the lessons and students who do not are furthermore required to study a text of their choice among the following:
   
1) A. Antoine, I miei ricordi sul Teatro Libero, Roma-Milano, Mondadori, 1923;
2) A. Attisani e M. Biagini (a cura di), Jerzy Grotowski. Testi 1968-1998, Roma, Bulzoni, 2007;
3) A. Artaud, «Il teatro e il suo doppio» con altri scritti teatrali, Torino, Einaudi, 1968;
4) C. Bene e G. Dotto, Vita di Carmelo Bene [1998], Milano, Bompiani, 2008;
5) E. Barba, La canoa di carta. Trattato di antropologia teatrale, Bologna, Il Mulino, 1993;
6) J. Beck, La vita del teatro: l'artista e la lotta del popolo, Torino, Einaudi, 1975;
7) B. Brecht, Scritti teatrali, 3 voll., Torino, Einaudi, 1975;
8) J. Copeau, Ricordi del «Vieux Colombier», Milano, Il Saggiatore, 1962;
9) J. Copeau, Il luogo del teatro, a cura di M.I. Aliverti, Firenze, La casa Usher, 1988;
10) G. Craig, Il mio teatro, a cura di F. Marotti, Milano, Feltrinelli, 1971;
11) S.M. Ejsenstejn, Forme e tecniche del film e lezioni di regia, Torino, Einaudi, 1964;
12) S.M. Ejzestejn, Il movimento espressivo. Scritti sul teatro, Venezia, Marsilio, 1998;
13) E. Faccioli, Nikolaj Michajlovic Foregger (1892-1939). Dal simbolismo al realismo socialista, Roma, Bulzoni, 2007;
14) J. Grotowski, Per un teatro povero, Roma, Bulzoni, 1970;
15) M. Knebel', L'analisi della pièce e del ruolo mediante l'azione, Milano, Ubulibri, 2009;
16) H.-T. Lehmann, Postdramatisches Theater, Frankfurt am Main, Verlag der Autoren, 1999 (è possibile utilizzare anche l'edizione inglese o francese);
17) C. Meldolesi et al., La terza vita di Leo: gli ultimi vent'anni del teatro di Leo De Berardinis a Bologna, Corazzano, Titivillus, 2010;
18) V.E. Mejerchol´d, L'attore biomeccanico, Milano, Ubulibri, 1993;
19) V.E. Mejerchol´d, 33 svenimenti. Una domanda di matrimonio, L'anniversario, L'orso di Anton Cechov; Milano, Ubulibri, 2006;
20) V. Pandolfi, Spettacolo del secolo. Il teatro drammatico, Pisa, Nistri-Lischi, 1953;
21) F. Perrelli, I maestri della ricerca teatrale, Il Living, Grotowski, Barba e Brook, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2007;
22) B. Picon-Vallin, Mejerchol´d, Perugia, MTTMedizioni, 2006;
23) E. Piscator, Il teatro politico, Torino, Einaudi, 1960;
24) G. Pitoëff, Il nostro teatro, Roma, Bulzoni, 2009;
25) F. Quadri (a cura di), Il teatro di Trionfo, Milano, Ubulibri, 2002;
26) L. Ronconi e G. Capitta, Teatro della conoscenza, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2012;
27) L. Squarzina, Da Dioniso a Brecht. Pensiero teatrale e azione scenica, Bologna, Il Mulino, 1988;
28) K. Stanislavskij, La mia vita nell'arte, prefazione di G. Guerrieri, Torino, Einaudi, 1983;
29) K. Stanislavskij, Il lavoro dell'attore su se stesso, a cura di G. Guerrieri, prefazione di F. Malcovati, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2003 (collana «Biblioteca Universale»);
30) K. Stanislavsikij, Il lavoro dell'attore sul personaggio, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 1988;
31) G. Strehler, Per un teatro umano: pensieri scritti, parlati e attuati, Milano, Feltrinelli, 1974;
32) A. Tairov, Il teatro liberato. Annotazioni di un regista [1927], Urbino, Quattro Venti, 1987;
33) E.B. Vachtangov, Il sistema e l'eccezione: taccuini, lettere, diari, Pisa, ETS, 2004.
   
B) Compulsory reading for students who attend less than 80% of the lessons:
   
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 text of their choice among the following:
   
1) B. Alesse, Ariane Mnouchkine e il Théâtre du Soleil, Roma, Editoria & Spettacolo, 2005;
2) A. Attisani e M. Biagini, Il Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards, Roma, Bulzoni, 2007;
3) E. Barba, La terra di cenere e diamanti. Il mio apprendistato in Polonia, Bologna, Il Mulino, 1998;
4) D. Barenboin e P. Chéreau, Dialoghi su musica e teatro: Tristano e Isotta, Milano, Feltrinelli, 2008;
5) J. Beck e J. Malina, Il lavoro del Living Theatre (materiali, 1952-1962), Milano, Ubulibri, 1982;
6) L. Bentivoglio, Pippo Delbono: corpi senza menzogna, Firenze, Barbes, 2009;
7) N. Bionda e C. Gualdoni, Visioni incrociate: Pippo Delbono tra cinema e teatro, Corazzano (PI), Titivillus, 2011;
8) P. Brook, Il punto in movimento 1946-1987, Milano, Ubulibri, 1988;
9) P. Brook, Lo spazio vuoto, Roma, Bulzoni, 1998;
10) P. Brook, La porta aperta, Torino, Einaudi, 2005;
11) R. Castellucci, C. Guidi, C. Castellucci, Epopea della polvere: il teatro della Societas Raffaello Sanzio 1992-1999: Amleto, Masoch, Orestea, Giulio Cesare, Genesi, Milano, Ubulibri, 2001;
12) M. Delgado e V. Valentini (a cura di), Peter Sellars, Sovera Mannelli (CZ), Rubettino, 1999;
13) V. Di Bernardi, Mahabharata. L'epica indiana e lo spettacolo di Peter Brook, Roma, Bulzoni, 1990;
14) R. Gandolfi, La prima regista: Edith Craig, fra rivoluzione della scena e cultura delle donne, Roma, Bulzoni, 2003;
15) F. Gasparini e M. Marino, “Della poesia nel teatro il tremito”. Per Giuliano Scabia, «Culture Teatrali», numero monografico, 2005, n. 12;
16) T. Kantor, Il teatro della morte, Milano, Ubulibri, 2000;
17) L. Jouvet, Ascolta, amico mio, Roma, Bulzoni, 2007;
18) M. Martinelli, Teatro impuro, Ravenna, Montanari, 20062;
19) M. Martinelli e E. Montanari, Primavera eretica. Scritti e interviste: 1983-2013, Corazzano (PI), Titivillus, 2014;
20) R. Molinari, Viaggio nel teatro di Thierry Salmon: attraverso “I demoni” di Fëdor Dostoevskij, Milano, Ubulibri, 2008;
21) V. Mejerchol´d, 1918. Lezioni di teatro, Milano, Ubulibri, 2004;
22) R. Palazzi, Kantor: la materia e l'anima, Corazzano, Titivillus, 2010;
23) F. Quadri, F. Bertoni e R. Stearns, Bob Wilson, Firenze, Octavo, 1997;
24) F. Quadri, L. Ronconi e G. Aulenti, Il laboratorio di Prato, Milano, Ubulibri, 1981;
25) L. Ronconi, Inventare l'opera. L'Orfeo, Il viaggio a Reims, Aida: tre opere d'occasione alla Scala, Milano, Ubulibri, 1986;
26) A. Rossi Ghiglione (a cura di), Barboni. Il teatro di Pippo del Bono, Milano, Ubulibri, 1999;
27) R. Schechner, La teoria della performance 1970-1983, Roma, Bulzoni, 1984;
28) Societas Raffaello Sanzio, Epitaph, Milano, Ubulibri, 2003;
29) V. Valentini (a cura di), Eimuntas Nekrosius, Soveria Mannelli (CZ), Rubettino, 1999;
30) V. Valentini, Mondi, corpi, materie: teatri del secondo Novecento, Milano, Mondadori, 2007;
31) A. Vasil´ev, A un unico lettore. Colloqui sul teatro, Roma, Bulzoni, 2000.
   
N.B.: Any change to this programme must be approved by professor Longhi.
There may be some further reading materials; if so, they will be available as an attachment to these pages from February 2015.

Students who lack an adequate knowledge of the history of theatre directing are invited to read:
- R. Alonge, Il teatro dei registi. Scopritori di enigmi e poeti della scena, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2006;
- M. Schino, La nascita della regia teatrale, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2003.

Teaching methods

During both the first and the second modules, classes will be structured as a seminar, combining lectures, discussions, reports by the students on agreed-upon subjects, practical exercises, theatre performances, and will make use of projections.

Assessment methods

6 cfu course unit

The final examination consists of:

1) an oral examination on the topics covered during the class and on the books read by the students;
2) the presentation of a written review of the volume chosen by the student among those listed as mandatory for students attending and those not attending, required by the course bibliography - Review of up to 20,000 characters (including spaces) to be delivered to the professor, even by e-mail, at least two days before the day of the exam.

The oral examination is designed to evaluate the methodological and critical skills acquired by the student, who will be invited to confront himself with the texts covered during the course. Particularly valued will be the candidate's ability to move with confidence in understanding the shows and in the bibliographical material, in order to be able to identify inside them the useful information that will enable the student to illustrate the similarities and cultural areas of the discipline, as well as the mastery of the basic elements of the planning of practices in the theater directing. The oral exam will also test the students' knowledge of the main study instruments with which to draw up a research on directors' work and their ability to find their way in the complex net of relationships that join directing practices, the artistic context of the theatre and the framework of human sciences in general.
The evaluation of the review is intended to verify the student's ability to develop an original thought about theater directing and to fix it effectively in writing.
The oral examination and the written review will be jointly evalueted because they are expressions of different skills and ways of knowing the language of theater directing.

The achievement by the student of an organic vision of the issues addressed in class together with their critical use, the showing of the ownership of an expressing mastery and a specific language, the originality of his reflection about directing and/or the effectiveness of its written return as well as his familiarity with the strategies of staging will be assessed with a mark of excellence.
A mechanical and/or mnemonic knowledge of the topics, a capacity of synthesis and a not articulated analysis and/or a proper language but not always appropriate, as well as a modest originality in the development of a thought about theater directing and/or the average effectiveness of its written return as well as an elementary domain of the strategies of staging will lead to discrete valuations.
Training gaps and/or inappropriate language, as well as a lack of originality in the development of a thought about theater directing and/or the minimum effectiveness of its wtitten return as well as a lack of expertise within the strategies of staging - albeit in a context of minimal knowledge of the material of examination - will lead to votes that will amount on the threshold of sufficiency.
Training gaps, inappropriate language, lack of guidance within the reference materials offered during the course, lack of originality in the development of a thought about directing and/or ineffectiveness of its written restitution as well as inability to manage the practice of staging, will be negatively evaluated.

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 stopped and cancelled.

12 cfu Course

The final examination consists of:
1) an oral examination on the topics covered during the class and on the books read by the students;
2) the presentation of a written review of the volume chosen by the student among those listed as mandatory for students attending and those not attending, required by the course bibliography - Review of up to 20,000 characters (including spaces) to be delivered to the professor, even by e-mail, at least two days before the day of the exam;
3) the presentation of a project of theater directing developed during the course for the students attending the class or elaborated on a dramatic score to be agreed with the professor for the students who are not attending the class, to be delivered at least two days before the day of the exam (even by email).

The oral examination is designed to evaluate the methodological and critical skills acquired by the student, who will be invited to confront himself with the texts covered during the course. Particularly valued will be the candidate's ability to move with confidence in understanding the shows and in the bibliographical material, in order to be able to identify inside them the useful information that will enable the student to illustrate the similarities and cultural areas of the discipline, as well as the mastery of the basic elements of the planning of practices in the theater directing.The oral exam will also test the students' knowledge of the main study instruments with which to draw up a research on directors' work and their ability to find their way in the complex net of relationships that join directing practices, the artistic context of the theatre and the framework of human sciences in general.
The evaluation of the review is intended to verify the student's ability to develop an original thought about theater directing and to fix it effectively in writing.
The evaluation of the project of theater directing is aimed at confirming the practical ability achieved by the student to organize a coherent and organic project of staging, which needs to be pertinent to the chosen dramatic score dramatic and able to reveal a significant creative contribution of the student. The staging project will also be used to assess the students' ability to confront critically the structural conditionings that influence the director's work.
The oral examination, the written review and the project in theater directing will be jointly evalueted because they are expressions of different skills and ways of knowing the language of theater directing.

The achievement by the student of an organic vision of the issues addressed in class together with their critical use, the showing of the ownership of an expressing mastery and a specific language, the originality of his reflection about directing and/or the effectiveness of its written return as well as his familiarity with the strategies of staging enabling the student the development of a complete and original project in theater directing will be assessed with a mark of excellence.
A mechanical and/or mnemonic knowledge of the topics, a capacity of synthesis and a not articulated analysis and/or a proper language but not always appropriate, as well as a modest originality in the development of a thought about theater directing and/or the average effectiveness of its written return as well as an elementary domain of the strategies of staging enabling the student the development of a relatively complete and original project in theater directing will lead to discrete valuations.
Training gaps and/or inappropriate language, as well as a lack of originality in the development of a thought about theater directing and/or the minimum effectiveness of its written return as well as a lack of expertise within the strategies of staging enabling the student the development of a barely sufficiently complete and original project in theater directing - albeit in a context of minimal knowledge of the material of examination - will lead to votes that will amount on the threshold of sufficiency.
Training gaps, inappropriate language, lack of guidance within the reference materials offered during the course, lack of originality in the development of a thought about theater directing and/or ineffectiveness of its written restitution as well as inability to manage the practice of staging such as to prevent to develop even a barely sufficiently complete and original project in theater directing will be evaluated negatively.

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 stopped and cancelled.

Teaching tools

External performances and experiences: a calendar and instructions as to how to participate in external performances and experiences will be announced during classes. There may be some further reading materials; if so, they will be available as an attachment to these pages from February 2015.

Office hours

See the website of Claudio Longhi