Comparative Theatre Studies
A.Y. 2026/2027
Learning objectives
The course intends to offer a wide-ranging overview of the history of theater and performing arts by following the evolution and adaptation of a particularly significant and long-lasting theatrical theme or phenomenon. We will explore the subject matter within the production and receptive context, investigating the pathways through which themes and phenomena have migrated through time and space.
Theater has always been a particularly effective media in the dissemination of characters, myths, role models, mentalities, habits, ideas, aesthetic canons, and customs-contributing to their change, transformation, and/or entrenchment in different social and cultural contexts. Tracing the evolution of certain phenomena, from their origins to the present day, will be an opportunity to reflect on their relevance or discontinuity in relation to the contemporary world.
Theater has always been a particularly effective media in the dissemination of characters, myths, role models, mentalities, habits, ideas, aesthetic canons, and customs-contributing to their change, transformation, and/or entrenchment in different social and cultural contexts. Tracing the evolution of certain phenomena, from their origins to the present day, will be an opportunity to reflect on their relevance or discontinuity in relation to the contemporary world.
Expected learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students will have acquired the methodological skills particular to the history of theater and performing arts, that is, the ability to interpret phenomena through an interdisciplinary point of view, based on a rigorous critique of sources (literary, visual, musical, etc.). They will be able to orient themselves in the retrieval and selection of information through the different types of media and will know how to independently analyze a dramatic text and at the same time relate it to its staging. They will know how to discuss and argue in a seminar context the topics covered in the course, both by applying the methods learned and by developing and refining autonomous strategies of analysis. Finally, they will know how to prepare individual written work of adequate methodological rigor.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
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 18th century'
Part B (20 hours - 3 credits): "Nineteenth-century divas and the 20th-century advent of Regietheater: new models 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 first group of texts (Group A) will consist of The Mandrake Root (N. Machiavelli), Aminta (T. Tasso), Othello (W. Shakespeare), Love in the Mirror (G. B. Andreini), The Mistress of the Inn (C. Goldoni), and Don Giovanni (L. Da Ponte-W.A. Mozart). This selection will allow to trace how female roles—such as the lover or the maidservant—evolved across time and theatrical genres (both prose and opera), offering an intermedial perspective on the subject. With regard to Love in the mirror (Amor nello specchio) 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) key figures of the so-called Commedia dell'Arte. Finally, the course will explore the theme of cross-dressing, which can be found in several text under consideration (particularly from the Baroque period), as well as the desire of certain female characters to 'be a man', focusing on the definition of 'masculine' and 'feminine'.
Learning Unit B
The second part shifts focus to a new selection of texts (Group B: 19th-20th century). It begins with melodramma, examining La Traviata (F.M. Piave-G. Verdi) alongside its adaptation from Alexandre Dumas's The Lady of the Camellias. The study then moves to prose theatre with Georg Büchner's Woyzeck, Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, and George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. Together, these works prompt an exploration of key themes surrounding female models, including marriage, family, and prostitution. Ultimately, the analysis will trace how female characterization evolves, with a specific emphasis on how iconic actresses like Sarah Bernhardt and Eleonora Duse interpreted these roles within their repertoires."
It will be introduced 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 analyze prominent 20th-century stagings of these texts by directors such as Luchino Visconti, Luca Ronconi, Giorgio Strehler, Robert Wilson, Robert Carsen, and Thomas Ostermeier. Additionally, students are encouraged to attend two productions from the ongoing Milanese theatre season (2026-27). The first, Il fuoco era la cura. Fahrenheit 451 by Sotterraneo collective (Teatro Studio Melato, October 13-25, 2026), highlights the value of past knowledge and memory in understanding the present. The second, Linda Dalisi's Oscar, directed by Antonio Latella (Teatro Strehler, October 20-November 1, 2026), offers a closer look at gender dynamics, female agency, and cross-dressing as a strategy for navigating spaces and activities traditionally denied to women.
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.
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.
Part A (20 hours - 3 credits): 'The origins of the theme: women, violence and "love" on stage from the Renaissance to the 18th century'
Part B (20 hours - 3 credits): "Nineteenth-century divas and the 20th-century advent of Regietheater: new models 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 first group of texts (Group A) will consist of The Mandrake Root (N. Machiavelli), Aminta (T. Tasso), Othello (W. Shakespeare), Love in the Mirror (G. B. Andreini), The Mistress of the Inn (C. Goldoni), and Don Giovanni (L. Da Ponte-W.A. Mozart). This selection will allow to trace how female roles—such as the lover or the maidservant—evolved across time and theatrical genres (both prose and opera), offering an intermedial perspective on the subject. With regard to Love in the mirror (Amor nello specchio) 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) key figures of the so-called Commedia dell'Arte. Finally, the course will explore the theme of cross-dressing, which can be found in several text under consideration (particularly from the Baroque period), as well as the desire of certain female characters to 'be a man', focusing on the definition of 'masculine' and 'feminine'.
Learning Unit B
The second part shifts focus to a new selection of texts (Group B: 19th-20th century). It begins with melodramma, examining La Traviata (F.M. Piave-G. Verdi) alongside its adaptation from Alexandre Dumas's The Lady of the Camellias. The study then moves to prose theatre with Georg Büchner's Woyzeck, Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, and George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. Together, these works prompt an exploration of key themes surrounding female models, including marriage, family, and prostitution. Ultimately, the analysis will trace how female characterization evolves, with a specific emphasis on how iconic actresses like Sarah Bernhardt and Eleonora Duse interpreted these roles within their repertoires."
It will be introduced 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 analyze prominent 20th-century stagings of these texts by directors such as Luchino Visconti, Luca Ronconi, Giorgio Strehler, Robert Wilson, Robert Carsen, and Thomas Ostermeier. Additionally, students are encouraged to attend two productions from the ongoing Milanese theatre season (2026-27). The first, Il fuoco era la cura. Fahrenheit 451 by Sotterraneo collective (Teatro Studio Melato, October 13-25, 2026), highlights the value of past knowledge and memory in understanding the present. The second, Linda Dalisi's Oscar, directed by Antonio Latella (Teatro Strehler, October 20-November 1, 2026), offers a closer look at gender dynamics, female agency, and cross-dressing as a strategy for navigating spaces and activities traditionally denied to women.
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.
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.
Prerequisites for admission
Knowledge of Italian and English. Basic knowledge of major events in contemporary European history and related chronological partitioning. Curiosity about artistic phenomena and related languages, critical sense, willingness to experiment and get involved. In addition, it would be helpful, but not essential, to have taken other performing arts area exams, such as History of Theater and Spectacle, History of Radio and Television, History and Criticism of Cinema
Teaching methods
Classes are face-to-face and interactive. They aim to develop students' analytical and critical skills and abilities. They will be conducted with the support of written, visual and/or audiovisual documentary materials. They provide for both sections of frontal teaching and moments of plenary discussion. In addition, group, pair or individual work will be encouraged, as well as practical exercises in the use of sources.
Teaching Resources
Bibliography for Attending Students
For 6 cfu: prepare parts A and B
Bibliography:
Learning Unit A
- Lectures notes from Learning Unit A-
- Two plays chosen from group A
- The three following articles:
1) Konrad Eisenbichler, Sex and Marriage in Machiavelli's "Mandragola": A Close(t) Reading, «Renaissance and Reformation/Renaissance et Réforme», 40 (2017), 1, pp. 13-35
2) Jane Tylus, Women at the Windows: "Commedia dell'arte" and Theatrical Practice in Early Modern Italy, in «Theatre journal», 49 (1997), 3, pp. 323-342.
3) Adrienne Ward, The Drama of Marriage in Eighteenth-Century Venice: Carlo Goldoni's "La locandiera", in The Eighteenth Centuries. Global Networks of Enlightenment, ed. David T. Gies, Cynthia Wall, University of Virginia Press, 2018, pp. 233-263.
Learning Unit B
- Lectures notes from Learning Unit B
- Two plays chosen from group B
- The two following articles:
1) Christian Janss, When Nora Stayed: More Light on The German Ending, in «Ibsen Studies», 17 (2017), 1, pp. 3-27.
2) Paul Bauschatz, The uneasy evolution of "My fair Lady" from "Pygmalione", in «Shaw», 18 (1998), pp. 181-198.
Bibliography for not attending students
6 cfu exam program for non-attending students
- Tre plays chosen from group A
- Tre plays chosen from group B
- The seven following articles:
1) Konrad Eisenbichler, Sex and Marriage in Machiavelli's "Mandragola": A Close(t) Reading, «Renaissance and Reformation/Renaissance et Réforme», 40 (2017), 1, pp. 13-35
2) Jane Tylus, Women at the Windows: "Commedia dell'arte" and Theatrical Practice in Early Modern Italy, in «Theatre journal», 49 (1997), 3, pp. 323-342.
3) Rosalind Kerr, The Italian Actress and the Foundations of Early Modern European Theatre: Performing Female Sexual Identities on the Commedia dell'Arte Stage, «Early Theatre», 11 (2008), 2, pp. 181-197.
4) Adrienne Ward, The Drama of Marriage in Eighteenth-Century Venice: Carlo Goldoni's "La locandiera", in The Eighteenth Centuries. Global Networks of Enlightenment, ed. David T. Gies, Cynthia Wall, University of Virginia Press, 2018, pp. 233-263.
5) Christian Janss, When Nora Stayed: More Light on The German Ending, in «Ibsen Studies», 17 (2017), 1, pp. 3-27.
6) Joseph H. Stodder, Influences of "Othello" on Büchner's "Woyzeck", in «The Modern Language Review», 69, (1974), 1, pp. 115-120.
7) Paul Bauschatz, The uneasy evolution of "My fair Lady" from "Pygmalione", in «Shaw», 18 (1998), pp. 181-198.
Please pay attention!
Attending student = a student who actively and continuously participates in classes, discussions, and proposed activities.
For 6 cfu: prepare parts A and B
Bibliography:
Learning Unit A
- Lectures notes from Learning Unit A-
- Two plays chosen from group A
- The three following articles:
1) Konrad Eisenbichler, Sex and Marriage in Machiavelli's "Mandragola": A Close(t) Reading, «Renaissance and Reformation/Renaissance et Réforme», 40 (2017), 1, pp. 13-35
2) Jane Tylus, Women at the Windows: "Commedia dell'arte" and Theatrical Practice in Early Modern Italy, in «Theatre journal», 49 (1997), 3, pp. 323-342.
3) Adrienne Ward, The Drama of Marriage in Eighteenth-Century Venice: Carlo Goldoni's "La locandiera", in The Eighteenth Centuries. Global Networks of Enlightenment, ed. David T. Gies, Cynthia Wall, University of Virginia Press, 2018, pp. 233-263.
Learning Unit B
- Lectures notes from Learning Unit B
- Two plays chosen from group B
- The two following articles:
1) Christian Janss, When Nora Stayed: More Light on The German Ending, in «Ibsen Studies», 17 (2017), 1, pp. 3-27.
2) Paul Bauschatz, The uneasy evolution of "My fair Lady" from "Pygmalione", in «Shaw», 18 (1998), pp. 181-198.
Bibliography for not attending students
6 cfu exam program for non-attending students
- Tre plays chosen from group A
- Tre plays chosen from group B
- The seven following articles:
1) Konrad Eisenbichler, Sex and Marriage in Machiavelli's "Mandragola": A Close(t) Reading, «Renaissance and Reformation/Renaissance et Réforme», 40 (2017), 1, pp. 13-35
2) Jane Tylus, Women at the Windows: "Commedia dell'arte" and Theatrical Practice in Early Modern Italy, in «Theatre journal», 49 (1997), 3, pp. 323-342.
3) Rosalind Kerr, The Italian Actress and the Foundations of Early Modern European Theatre: Performing Female Sexual Identities on the Commedia dell'Arte Stage, «Early Theatre», 11 (2008), 2, pp. 181-197.
4) Adrienne Ward, The Drama of Marriage in Eighteenth-Century Venice: Carlo Goldoni's "La locandiera", in The Eighteenth Centuries. Global Networks of Enlightenment, ed. David T. Gies, Cynthia Wall, University of Virginia Press, 2018, pp. 233-263.
5) Christian Janss, When Nora Stayed: More Light on The German Ending, in «Ibsen Studies», 17 (2017), 1, pp. 3-27.
6) Joseph H. Stodder, Influences of "Othello" on Büchner's "Woyzeck", in «The Modern Language Review», 69, (1974), 1, pp. 115-120.
7) Paul Bauschatz, The uneasy evolution of "My fair Lady" from "Pygmalione", in «Shaw», 18 (1998), pp. 181-198.
Please pay attention!
Attending student = a student who actively and continuously participates in classes, discussions, and proposed activities.
Assessment methods and Criteria
The examination consists of an oral interview in Italian. Questions are designed to test knowledge of the course topics and the in-depth bibliography included in the examination program, with particular attention to argumentative ability and terminological competence in the discipline. The grade is expressed in thirtieths and takes into account, for attending students, the grade given in the written paper. The candidate has the right to reject the grade (in which case it will be verbalized as "withdrawn").
PEMM-01/A - Performing Arts - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Professor:
Fantappie' Francesca
Professor(s)