Room 7 Campo Boario: Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 April, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Wednesday 29 April, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm.
Seminar by Marco Carniti at the Teatro dei Documenti, Via Nicola Zabaglia 42: Wednesday 29 April, 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
The Geometries of Dreams workshop invites students of set design, as well as those on other courses, to explore the relationship between reality and the dream dimension through the construction of the space-environment or the stage space.
The course begins with the observation of reality in order to transform it, through a process of geometric abstractions and postulates of the theory of multifocal perspective, in relation to productions staged in Italy. In this regard, we will apply a methodology that will enable us to analyse the parameters of perception of the perspective image: the rendering of perspective, derived from the set designs for each of his productions staged in both Italy and France. We will therefore draw on texts on stagecraft to identify the relationship between theatrical architecture and scenographic architecture, examining three distinctive productions: Life of Galileo (1963) by Bertolt Brecht, The Venetian Twins (1964) by Carlo Goldoni and The Cherry Orchard (1974). In addition, we will draw a parallel between the latter production and Le cochon noir (1973), directed by Roger Planchon, as well as analysing his theatre architecture projects, such as the Nuovo Teatro in Trieste and the Teatro dei Documenti in Rome. The proposed method combines technical tools such as sketches and models with imaginative processes that enable us to rethink space as a living and changing organism. The workshop is based on three key figures in the history of modern and contemporary stage design: Adolphe Appia, Edward Gordon Craig and Luciano Damiani. With his conception of light as a sculptural element and of volumes as architectures of action, Appia ushered in a new way of thinking about the stage. Craig, on the other hand, introduced stage abstraction, pure forms and the reduction of naturalistic detail in favour of a symbolic and poetic vision. Finally, Luciano Damiani, an innovative heir to this tradition, brought to Italy a set design that was both minimal and profoundly evocative, capable of transforming space through a few elements of great expressive value. His research into light, materials and the relationship with the director is now an essential reference point for the use of space as a dramaturgical setting. These three contributions guide the process of transformation that students will undertake in the workshop, balancing formal rigour, imagination and the poetry of space.
The workshop programme also includes a discussion with director Marco Carniti, whose vision of the stage will offer students a contemporary perspective on the construction of the theatrical imagination. The discussion will start with his most recent work, Prima della Tempesta – Omaggio a Luciano Damiani e a Giorgio Strehler (Before the Tempest – A Tribute to Luciano Damiani and Giorgio Strehler), a production that presents a human, poetic and formative portrait of artists in post-war Italy, highlighting the authentic value of art beyond market logic. Inspired by the preparatory materials for Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the work celebrates two key figures of 20th-century theatre: director Giorgio Strehler and set designer Luciano Damiani. Prima della Tempesta is configured as an explosion of poetry capable of deeply engaging the audience, even those who have never set foot in a theatre. During the performance, the actress Antonella Civale brings to life the almost forgotten role of the prompter, a hidden observer of the wonders of the stage, as if she were peering at the stage through a tiny keyhole.
The workshop will lead students to directly observe a real-world environment through surveys, photos, drawings and graphic and digital design. Decomposition of space into essential forms and construction of the “geometric atlas” through Luciano Damiani’s theory of geometric abstractions, applied to his productions. References are also made to Appia and Craig to understand how the stage or environment can distil reality into pure, meaningful structures.