This paper looks at contemporary strategies adopted in staging political plays in the UK by taking into account the changing role of theatre audiences and the function of theatre in affecting and determining social practices. After briefly analysing British predominant approaches to foreign theatre, a number of recent productions of Italian plays, which seem to indicate a tendency towards an alternative strategy in stagings of foreign theatre in the UK, will be examined. These include the 2002 joint production of The Odyssey by the Italian theatre group Stalker Teatro and the Glasgow based Working Party, together with some key productions of plays by Luigi Pirandello, Edoardo De Filippo, and Dario Fo and Franca Rame. These productions have been chosen, not so much for their political content, but for their provocative form and function in that they challenge common British stage traditions, such as the tendency to focus on the cultural identity of foreign plays, as well as dominant acting styles. The use of non-standard languages and the commitment of theatre collectives to physical acting will be shown to constitute central elements of a resistant approach that distinguishes itself for its challenging interpretations of foreign theatre.
Staging Italian Theatre. A Resistant Approach
TAVIANO, Stefania
2007-01-01
Abstract
This paper looks at contemporary strategies adopted in staging political plays in the UK by taking into account the changing role of theatre audiences and the function of theatre in affecting and determining social practices. After briefly analysing British predominant approaches to foreign theatre, a number of recent productions of Italian plays, which seem to indicate a tendency towards an alternative strategy in stagings of foreign theatre in the UK, will be examined. These include the 2002 joint production of The Odyssey by the Italian theatre group Stalker Teatro and the Glasgow based Working Party, together with some key productions of plays by Luigi Pirandello, Edoardo De Filippo, and Dario Fo and Franca Rame. These productions have been chosen, not so much for their political content, but for their provocative form and function in that they challenge common British stage traditions, such as the tendency to focus on the cultural identity of foreign plays, as well as dominant acting styles. The use of non-standard languages and the commitment of theatre collectives to physical acting will be shown to constitute central elements of a resistant approach that distinguishes itself for its challenging interpretations of foreign theatre.Pubblicazioni consigliate
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