Idea of scenic space and places of dramatic representation in the 15 and 16th centuries. Italian models of theatre
Abstract
The theatrical building that we know nowadays was originated and developed rapidly in a hundred year period, between the 15th and 16th century. The consolidation of the scenic space is usually attributed to the review the sixteenth-century theorist of Vitruvius’s De Architectura and archaeological sources that described Greek and Roman theaters specially. The reconstruction through textual archeology of the ancient theater served to conceptualize modern theater: parts of its structure and the description of the stage are reinterpretations of the vitruvian cannon and many of the architectural elements are fundamental such as the proscenium arch, the auditorium balconies and the arrangement of the proscenium and the stage. All these resulted from a complex re-elaboration process that conjugated ancient forms with modern practices. Among the most important contributions of the sixteenth-century architects, are the new lineaments of perspective applied to the scenery and the lighting systems of the theatrical apparatus. Scenic devices were enhanced and legitimized by the perfectionism of optical illusion and the distribution and control of lighting intensity. For a long time, this gave the theater concept notions of delight and wonder. We must note that until 1540 there were no special buildings destined for theaters and representations took place in provisional structures that were constraint in royal halls and courtyards. The practice of building ephemeral theaters also conditioned the location of stable theaters that prevailed in Europe until the end of the 19th century and whose typologies are still recognizable in the majority of theaters of the Latin west.
Keywords
Vitruvius, theatre, scene theory, scene, perspective, scenografy, stable theatres, ephemeral theatres, Sebastian Serlius, Andrea Palladio, Olympic Theatre of VicenzaPublished
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