ABSTRACT
A reconsideration of Visconti’s 1965 production of the Chekhov classic, assessing its hitherto unrecognized impact on understanding and interpreting Chekhov, in addition to providing new insights into the playwright.This paper locates Teatro Stabile of Rome on the political and economic landscape of the era, and scrutinizes the cultural profile of its first artistic director, Vito Pandolfi. Visconti’s choice of a production of The Cherry Orchard with which to launch the new theatre, in a near-vaudevillian interpretation, was a bold move. Visconti’s association with the Russian playwright’s works had been established in the ’40s, when the director identified Chekhov’s realism as a means of countering fascism and its censorship. Drawing on archival papers, photographs and recordings, this study reviews and reconstructs Visconti’s aesthetic aims, considering the extent to which he moved away from Stanislavsky’s seminal 1904 production. To clarify and properly measure the impact of this production, this paper reconstructs the gesture, rhythm and tone of performers, and the reactions of the audience and critics. In doing so, this study further maps the production’s influence on European theatre for the balance of the 20th century.
BIOGRAFIA
Federica Mazzocchi è associata di Discipline dello Spettacolo presso l’Università di Torino, dove insegna Studi di regia teatrale, Scritture per la scena e Teatro educativo e sociale. È vicepresidente del CRAD – Centro di ricerca sugli attori e il divismo, direttrice di due collane teatrali (Narrare la scena per ETS, Teatro per Scalpendi) e docente presso la scuola per attori del Teatro Stabile di Torino. Sul teatro di Visconti ha scritto tre libri (l’ultimo è Giovanni Testori e Luchino Visconti. “L’Arialda” 1960, 2015) e un cospicuo numero di articoli. Ha curato l’edizione italiana del volume di metodologie della regista inglese Katie Mitchell (Il mestiere della regia, 2017). L’area dei suoi studi riguarda in particolare la regia teatrale, e il rapporto tra drammaturgia e lavoro dell’attore.
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