#1.1 THE ROLE OF THE THEATRES

It certainly is a long and complex issue, but what can be affirmed in this work is that the role of the theatre in Italy is no longer what it used to be. If it’s a known fact that cinema and television have redefined it in the course of the twentieth century, in many countries (in Europe and abroad) two factors – or the combination of the two – the theatre’s role in the definition of a national identity: tradition and innovation.

Indeed, the current situation in Italy presents both of these factors, but the first has undergone a sort of a gradual “data logging” that addressed it to a very specific audience (the elderly that continue attending an old-fashioned and more traditional theatre); the second, on the other hand, is generally not finding an efficient way to promote its activities and to communicate how the contemporary language could be suitable for a younger audience. In this line of reasoning, a note must be made about the children’s theatre system; their establishment and development is crucial to feed a new generation of spectators. Among the numerous companies that work for the young audience, only a few are really committed in this important task, while the majority orbits in a closed circle in which the primary and secondary schools (often pursuing not really daring scopes) mainly limit themselves to the usual fairy tale reinventions and cheap staging. This is obviously a rough generalization, there are some very virtuous examples that try to invert this trend.

Even though the recent advent of musicals (which is by the way an exclusively metropolitan phenomenon) has been pulling spectators in and pushing the taking up, at a wider look – also but not only due to a general economical shifting – the role of theatre is certainly not prominent in contemporary Italian society. And yet, even if marginal, a lively community is moving around.

 

Published on 11 May 2015