May 24 2022 . Agata Tomšič . V EASTAP Conference . Milan
Tuesday, May 24th 2022
h 5.45 – 7 pm
Teatro Grassi, 4° floor (via Rovello, 2)
speech by Agata Tomšič
Idea, conception, creation and other forms of “new authorship” in contemporary theatre
Looking at the credits of some contemporary theatre productions of the last decades, it often turns out that the more traditional “text”, “direction”, “dramaturgy”, are flanked or replaced by terms such as “idea”, “conception”, “creation”. They are mainly used by the most radical groups, those who more than others pursue and refine an original and recognisable theatrical language. But they are also used by artists who are familiar with sharing the creative process with several people (actors, set designers, music, video, light designers, etc.) and/or with handling several scenic languages. What is hidden behind these words, which are not so common in the more traditional “drama theatre” system, but which are used by the majority of Italian and international “experimental theatre” companies, both in the context of independence and of productions supported by major theatre institutions? Is it a way to describe a new form of authorship, often the result of shared, horizontal and collective processes, involving different subjects and numerous points of view within the “staging”? What kind of compositional and productive modalities does it implement? What do realities such as Societàs, Teatro delle Albe, Fanny & Alexander, Motus, Sotterraneo, ErosAntEros, IIPM, Rimini Protokoll, Agrupación Señor Serrano and other artists who self-define their work in a similar way have in common? This paper will try to outline some common denominators, starting from the subdivision of roles within the creative processes of these artists, from the forms and languages they pursue, to the different compositional methods they experiment with, bringing them back into the context of the notions of scenic writing, post-dramatic theatre and theatrical mind.
The speech is within the V EASTAP Conference.
Given the limited number of spaces available, those who wish to attend one or more of the Conference sessions must send a request to eastapconference2022@piccoloteatromilano.it.
As a continuation of, and in line with, the themes of the previous editions – Paris (2018), Lisbon (2019), Bologna (2020), Vilnius (2021) –, the 5th international EASTAP (European Association for the Study of Theatre and Performance) Conference will take place within the framework of the International Festival that the Piccolo Teatro di Milano is dedicating to Strehler in May 2022, entitled Presente indicativo: per Giorgio Strehler (paesaggi teatrali). The aim of the Conference is to offer an in-depth and multi-faceted examination of the idea of the Theatrical Mind in relation to the various forms of live performance (for example, from prose to performance, to musical theatre and dance) and in light of the relationship between theory and practice.
Curators: Alberto Bentoglio (University of Milan, Department of Cultural and Environmental Heritage), Claudio Longhi (Piccolo Teatro di Milano – Teatro d’Europa), Daniele Vianello (University of Calabria, Department of Humanistic Studies)
Scientific Commitee: Antônio Araújo, Christopher Balme, Peter M. Boenisch, Maria João Brilhante, Josette Féral, Clare Finburgh Delijani, Helga Finter, Milena Grass, Gerardo Guccini, Caroline Guiela Nguyen, Sophie Lucet, Lorenzo Mango, Aldo Milohnić, Willmar Sauter, Pier Mario Vescovo