Comparative Theatre Studies

Course title: 'The representation of gender-based violence in Western theatre'
Part A (20 hours - 3 credits): 'The origins of the theme: women, violence and "love" on stage from the Renaissance to the 19th century'
Part B (20 hours - 3 credits): 'The 20th century and the advent of Regietheater: any changes on the horizon?'
The course will offer an overview of the representation of violence against women in Western theatre from the sixteenth century to the present day, reflecting on the origins of this theatrical theme, its evolution and its apparent crisis (if any) in the current historical and cultural context of both Italian and European theatre.
Learning Unit A
The first part will develop the topic diachronically in order to frame the issue in the long term, reinterpreting some masterpieces of Western theater. The analysis of the texts will be framed in the context of both production and reception, examining the various staging methods (focusing in particular on the presence or absence of female performers) and finally on the relationship with the (male and female) audience. The analysis will focus on the representation of violence, physical and/or psychological, inflicted and/or self-inflicted, in some cases suffered, in others defeated. The first group of texts (group A: 16th-17th centuries) will consist of La Mandragola (N. Machiavelli), L'Aminta (T. Tasso), Il burlador de Sevilla (T. de Molina), Othello (W. Shakespeare), and Amore nello specchio (G. B. Andreini). With regard to the latter comedy, which depicts the sapphic love between two women, particular attention will be paid to the artistic contribution of the actresses involved: Virginia Ramponi Andreini and Virginia Rotari. A second group of texts (group B: 1700-1800) - consisting of La locandiera (C. Goldoni), Woyzeck (G. Büchner), La signora delle camelie (A. Dumas), A Doll's House (H. Ibsen), and Miss Julie (A. Strindberg) - will allow us to reflect on the evolution of the representation of female characters, focusing on their interpretation by great actresses (such as Alla Nazimova, Sarah Bernhardt, and Eleonora Duse) who included some of these texts in their repertoire.
Learning Unit B
The second part will begin with an analysis of a third group of texts (group C: Twentieth Century) - consisting of Mother Courage and The Threepenny opera (B. Brecht), Così è se vi pare (L. Pirandello), Pygmalion (G. B. Shaw), Antigone (A. Anouilh) - to introduce the concept of Regietheater and question the contribution (or lack thereof) of this new way of conceiving staging plays in the representation of gender-based violence. Many of the texts analyzed raise nowadays a number of issues in terms of staging: are some of the situations presented still relevant? How can they 'dialogue' with the mentality and sensibilities of contemporary society?
Students will then be invited to analyze some 20th-century productions of the texts examined (in particular those by Luca Ronconi and Giorgio Strehler), and finally some productions from the current Milan theater season (2025-26), such as Mirandolina by Irish director Marina Carr (Teatro Elfo, March 10-15, 2026), inspired by Goldoni's Locandiera, which rewrites a great classic, producing "a play about fear [...] and the price exacted from girls who dare to react," and Anouilh's Antigone (directed by Roberto Latini, Teatro Studio Melato, March 17-22, 2026). Finally, part of Sophocles-Brecht's Antigone staged by the Living Theatre will be watched.
Throughout the course, class discussion and active contribution by students will be particularly encouraged. To this end, they will be invited to prepare an oral presentation, either individual or group, to be given in the final phase of the second teaching unit, according to modalities that will be provided during the course. Based on the agreed topic, it will be the responsibility of the professor to provide any bibliographical tools necessary to supplement the research. Each student will then submit an individual written work, developed from the presentation given in class, to be handed in in written form two weeks before the exam (20,000 characters).
The course has a website on the Ariel online teaching platform, where you can find slides from the lessons and other materials provided by the instructor.