HISTORY OF ACTORS AND ACTING

Università degli Studi
"G. d'Annunzio"

Chieti - Pescara

Single discipline educational activity

Course Sheet

Course code:

FLT032

Academic Year of enrolment:

2021

Year of supply:

2021/2022

Type of Course:

Related/Supplementary

Degree:

Course of 2nd Cycle Degree in PHILOLOGY, LINGUISTICS AND LITERARY TRADITIONS

Disciplinary Sector:

Performing Arts

Location:

CHIETI

Credits:

Programme Year:

Professor and Collaborators:

SPINELLI LEONARDO

Cycle:

Second semester

Hours of classroom activity:

Individual study hours:

108

Prerequisites:

None.

Objectives

The course contributes to reaching the educational objectives of the degree course in Philology, Linguistics and Literary Traditions.
It aims to provide solid knowledge and methodologies in the field of research, communication and preservation of cultural heritage, with particular reference to History of Theatre and its protagonists. Such aims are targeted for potential employment in publishing houses, specialised newspapers and magazines, public and private research institutes, theatres, museums, and for possible enrolment to doctoral programs.

Knowledge and Understanding
At the end of the course students must be able to critically analyse the main theatrical sources of the contemporary age, from textual documents (reviews, scripts, correspondence, memoirs, etc.) to iconographic and audiovisual materials, with particular reference to the methodology of reconstruction of production systems and the history of the actors.

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
At the end of the course students must be able to express original critical views on a theatrical event, using the most up-to-date study methods on the actors.

Critical thinking skills
Students will have to acquire sufficient skills to carry out the historical-critical analysis of the main acting styles of 20th century Italian performing arts. They will also have to acquire sufficient skills to independently reflect on basic historiographical issues relevant to the discipline.

Communication skills
Students must be able to clearly explain with appropriate vocabulary the events and issues of 20th century Italian History of Theatre, to both specialists and non-specialists, with the aim of building valuable interdisciplinary synergies with experts in other fields of study (History of Cinema, History of Music, etc.).

Contents

From the “macchiettista” to the “cantattore”. Biographies of the Italian Twentieth century theatre (6 cfu).

Extended Syllabus

The course focuses on the study of some of the main actors of the 20th century Italian stage. After an historical introduction to the figure of the theatre actor, the following biographies will be taken into consideration:
1. Virgilio Talli and the “teatro all’antica italiana”.
2. Ettore Petrolini and the Italian revue.
3. Rina Morelli and Paolo Stoppa: a leading art couple for Luchino Visconti.
4. Eduardo between tradition and modernity.
5. An actress and her stage director: Giulia Lazzarini for Giorgio Strehler.
6. The last “mattatore”: Vittorio Gassman.
7. Carmelo Bene: how to become an “actor machine”.
8: Giorgio Gaber and Italian “Theatre-song”.

Recommended Bibliography

Lecture notes (the audiovisual documents shown during the lessons will be freely distributed to the students)

S. FERRONE, Studiare gli attori, in «Drammaturgia», a. XI / n.s. I, 2014, pp. 307-312.

C. VICENTINI, È possibile la storia della recitazione?, in «Acting Archives Review. Rivista di studi sull’attore e la recitazione», V, 9, maggio 2015, pp. 1-18.
G. VACIS, Presenza come consapevolezza relazionale, in « Acting Archives Review. Rivista di studi sull’attore e la recitazione», X, 20, novembre 2020, pp. 105-114.

S. DE MATTEIS, Identità dell’attore napoletano, in «Teatro e Storia», V, 1, aprile 1990. pp. 89-115.

From the web portal Memoria del teatro italiano. Attori e attrici (1861-2011), Firenze University Press, 2012, http://memoria-attori.amati.unifi.it/Main.uri, attending students should study two biographical entries of their choice from the following: Ettore Petrolini (edited by D. Orecchia), Eduardo De Filippo (edited by E. Testoni), Paolo Stoppa (edited by L. Spinelli), Rina Morelli (edited by L. Spinelli), Vittorio Gassman (edited by E. Agostini), Carmelo Bene (edited by E. Agostini).

To acquire a profound knowledge of the main themes of the history of the Italian theatre of the twentieth century, students could study the essay: S. FERRONE- T. MEGALE, Il teatro del Novecento, in Storia della letteratura italiana. IX. Il Novecento, Roma, Salerno editrice, 2000, pp. 1369-1466. The essay is not mandatory for the Exam preparation.

Non-attending students should study the following texts:
M. SCHINO, Sul “ritardo” del teatro italiano, «Teatro e storia», III, 1988, 1, pp. 51-72.

G. GUCCINI, Recitare la nuova performance epica, in «Acting Archives Review. Rivista di studi sull’attore e la recitazione», I, 2, novembre 2011, pp. 65-90.

A. ATTISANI, Per uno studio dell’attore nell’era della riproducibilità tecnica, in «Acting Archives Review. Rivista di studi sull’attore e la recitazione», I, 2, novembre 2011, pp. 1-12.

They should also study two additional biographical entries from the web portal Memoria del teatro italiano. Attori e attrici (1861-2011).

Teaching Methods

Lectures: 42 hours. Seminars may also be organised. The lessons are supported by multimedia instruments, such as slides and videos.
The Thursday lesson will be dedicated to a workshop on prose representations staged at the Marrucino theater in Chieti from 1972 to today.

Evaluation methods

Verification of learning:

The final assessment consists of an oral exam on the entire syllabus, with the final grade being given out of 30. The aim is to assess students’ skills and in particular, their understanding of the issues discussed during the course and if they have an appropriate knowledge of the course bibliography. Critical and methodological abilities will also be evaluated, as well as their use of appropriate lexicon and clear presentation skills. The grading scale goes from 1 to 30 with honours (cum laude): 1-17 fail, 18-21 sufficient, 22-24 fair, 25-27 good, 28-29 very good, 30-30 with honours (cum laude) excellent.

Contacts/More Information

For any clarifications and more information write to:
leonardo.spinelli@unich.it.

Università degli Studi
"G. d'Annunzio"

Chieti - Pescara

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