From text to theatre - staging the dialogues of leone de sommi
Aims
By doing this workshop, you will:
- learn how theatre technics play a major role in a theatre play
- develop your understanding of the architecture of the theatre by means of acting
- have an opportunity to reflect on theatre, dramaturgy and scenic space
Key Information
| Number of learners | Groups of two or three students. Several groups can work on different parts of the dialogues, or each do their own staging. |
| Number of staff | One teacher |
| ECTS Credits (if applicable) | 5 credits |
Learning process
| Lecture/seminar | Lecture, presentation, discussion (face-to-face or online) | |
| Making project | Making a model, mock-up, plan or design (physical or digital) | |
| X | Performance project | Making a performance or demonstration (live or mediated) |
| Records and Archives | Interviews, photographs and videos of artefacts, annotating archives, creating learning materials (physical or digital) | |
| Independent study | Reading, researching, analysing and evaluating learning materials (physical or digital) in groups or alone |
Type of learner
| X | Student of technical theatre |
| X | Student of theatre design, architecture |
| X | Student of theatre arts |
| X | Professional |
| X | Researcher |
| X | General public |
What You Will Need
Duration and schedule
The schedule is flexible. The workshop can be done as an intensive activity over 1-2 weeks, or as 10-15 weekly sessions with two hours for the learners to prepare and one hour rehearsal and feedback with the teacher.
Depending on the complexity of the staging chosen, you will need 1-3 days in the theatre.
The workshop can be shortened by staging only a part of the de’ Sommi dialogues.
Room or type of space
Preparation can take place in a classroom. Ideally, performance takes place in a theatre.
Equipment
Basic theatre equipment for the theatre play (lighting, sound, seats, stage).
Materials (consumables)
Some elements to build a simple scenography and costumes.
Learning resources (books, websites)
Canonbase articles:
- Leone de' Sommi
- Quatro Dialoghi in materia di rapresentazioni sceniche
- Dialogues on Staging – an example staging of the dialogues by students at RESAD.
- Workshop to build a scenography for de’ Sommi’s dialogues
Process
Preparation
Gather some resources about the de’ Sommi dialogues and Italian Renaissance theatre, and prepare a short presentation to introduce the topic to the students.
Make sure you the resources necessary for the staging at the end of the project.
The learning activity
Give a presentation to the students introducing Italian Renaissance theatre, de’ Sommi and the dialogues.
Students then research, read and rehearse a performance of each dialogue. At regular points during the process, watch the rehearsals and give feedback.
At the same time as the rehearsal process, students develop their ideas for the staging of the dialogues, and prepare lighting, sound, scenery, costumes accordingly.
The final part of the workshop is to stage the dialogues in the theatre.
Assessment and feedback
The performance can be directly assessed in terms of students’ understanding of the matters discussed in the dialogues, together with a discussion and Q&A session afterwards. Alternatively, students can be asked to write or present a reflection on their experience and learning.
Our Experience
Tips
The workshop can be expanded or reduced in time, and in the scale of the production at the end, according to your needs and available resources.
The final performance can be given to other students and staff, as well as friends and family, if desired. It would also make a good centrepiece for a one-day symposium on Renaissance theatre or technical theatre history.
Additional information and resources
This methodology has been used in the Canon project to develop a Teaching Tool - see the project Dialogues on Staging by students at RESAD.
Credits
| This learning method was made by: | Antoni Ramon, Guillem Aloy |
| Institution: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Barcelona Tech. |
| Thanks to: | Staff and students at RESAD who created and performed the Dialogues that inspired this teaching methodology. |