lunedì, Gennaio 13, 2025
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Theatre

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THEATRE | The Andromeda Theatre, mirror of the sky

In Santo Stefano Quisquina, in the province of Agrigento, there is a special place, suspended between the earth and the stars: it is the Andromeda Theatre, a mirror of the sky, still not very well known to most people, which offers a unique sight.

The history of the Andromeda Theatre

The story is that of a sheperd, Lorenzo Reina, and his love for art and the stars. As a boy he took his flock of sheep to pasture and carved alabasters to pass the time. At night he would go out to breathe under the stars and, during one of these nights, in the moonlight, he asked the sky to “make him insatiable, never sick of his art”. So it was that the sky listened to him. Lorenzo Reina, the shepherd-sculptor laid the first stones to create his masterpiece. He intimately nurtured the desire to create something great. He recounts that on those lands, on the Sicilian mountains, in the late seventies he brought his flock to graze and that the sheep, as if under a spell, remained ruminating like white stones. Inspired by this image, in the early nineties he began to realize his work starting from the stones.

The structure of the Andromeda Theatre

108 white stones stand out on the very black sand of the cavea and look as if they were touching the sky, at an altitude of 1000 meters. But why exactly 108? In those years Reina became aware of the discovery that the Galaxy M31 of the Andromeda Constellation will collide with our galaxy in about two and a half billion years.

The position of the stones and their number follow the map of the 108 stars of the Constellation of Andromeda. He claimed it to be a simple idea; what is certain is that it turned out to be brilliant and of great visual and emotional impact.

The location of the Andromeda Theatre

The place chosen to build this theatre offers a great emotional impact per se, because it blends with the human artwork and provides suggestive scenery. There is no artificial backdrop: in fact, behind the stage there is a natural panorama of the uncontaminated valleys of Santo Stefano and breathtaking sunsets.

The structure enjoys natural lighting, there is no trace of artifice or electrical aid; everything has been designed to blend with nature. Going up the stone steps that lead to the narrow entrance passage, you can see the expanse of white seats and the opening, behind the stage, to the sky. It seems that time is suspended in an indefinite period between present, past and future and only the position of the sun defines the time, giving iridescent shades during the day. An almost religious silence reigns: it is no coincidence that many people go to the place to meditate. The suspension between sky and earth gives the impression of a landscape that does not seem to be of this planet: in fact, the Andromeda Theatre is a mirror of the celestial vault.

This fusion between heaven and earth makes the theater itself the show, the work of art. On particular days of the year events are organized that attract dozens of visitors. The day of the summer solstice, for example, is celebrated as a rite, in line with the first traditions of human history, which recognized the sacredness of the lunar cycle and the changing seasons. The atmosphere is permeated by the connection between man and nature, the true protagonist of the scene. 

A work in progress

If you talk to Lorenzo Reina, he himself calls his theatre a “work in progress”. Around the actual structure of the theatre, he has created numerous sculptures and artistic installations. Some recall classical mythology – such as the “Dying Icarus” plunged to the ground, granted by Giuseppe Agnello in 2007 – hiding a message addressed to contemporary man. Others are more conceptual and abstract, leaving room for personal interpretation. Reina’s work is not yet finished and the area is in evolution. It is to all intents and purposes an artistic path, along which events and theatrical performances are organized and promoted by Reina himself.

Dying Icarus

 

The “Teatro” column will move to the bimonthly magazine ArcheoMe, which for next year will have a whole new look, with exclusive and interesting contents. Thanks to all readers, see you on the next issue of ArcheoMe magazine to continue to explore together, with passionate eyes, the theatrical universe.

Politeama
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Redazione ArcheoMe 2 minuto di lettura

THEATRE | The Politeama of Palermo, prestigious “theatre of the people”

In Palermo, Piazza Ruggero Settimo has been renamed by citizens as Piazza Politeama. Here, halfway between the old and the new city, there’s the Politeama Garibaldi Theatre, one of the most beloved monuments of the city. A walk in Palermo can certainly start from this square, dominated by the imposing structure inspired by Rome’s Colosseum.

The construction works of the Politeama of Palermo

The initial project included the construction of a large outdoor daytime amphitheater; therefore, in 1865 a contract was signed with the Galland company and work began two years later. In 1868 there came the idea of creating a roof, so as to transform it into a theater hall to expand the offer with music and prose performances.

On June 7, 1874 the Politeama was inaugurated, although it still lacked the covering, staging I Capuleti e i Montecchi by Vincenzo Bellini. In November 1877 the metal roofing was finally made by the Oretea Foundry. 

In 1882, after Garibaldi’s death, the theatre changed its name to Politeama Garibaldi. The term “politeama” indicated a theatre that offered a varied programming, ranging from various types of shows. Finally, in 1891 it was enriched with further shows, realized on the occasion of the great “National Exhibition” held in Palermo. In that year there was the official opening at the presence of King Umberto and Queen Margherita, who were able to attend Verdi’s “Otello”.

In 2000, for the G8 held in the city, the polychrome Pompeian decorations of the loggias were restored. Since 2001 the Politeama can boast to be the seat of the Sicilian Symphonic Orchestra.

The structure of the Politeama

The entrance to the Politeama consists of a triumphal arch in neoclassical style and a colonnade on a double floor, reminiscent of the appearance of the Colosseum.  Above the arch stands the “Triumph of Apollo and Euterpe”, a bronze quadriga flanked by a pair of horses and riders representing the Olympic Games. The entire sculptural group is made of bronze.

trionfo di apollo ed euterpe
Triumph of Apollo and Euterpe

Unlike the Teatro Massimo, characterized by an elegant and majestic style, as well as intended for a more aristocratic audience and mainly for the representation of operas, the Politeama has a less lavish style. In fact, it was designed for a more popular audience, which does not disdain operettas, concerts of contemporary music, pop music and comic shows. In this regard, the hall has a horseshoe shape, which originally had a capacity of 5,000 spectators, such a large number to enhance the social function of “theatre of the people” with which it was conceived.

parterre
The Politeama Parterre

After admiring the outside, all you have to do is attend one of the many shows in season or, alternatively, admire the interiors of the halls and the audience through one of the many guided tours organized and proposed throughout the year.

Tradotto da: https://archeome.it/teatro-il-politeama-di-palermo-prestigioso-teatro-del-popolo/

Teatro Massimo Palermo
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Redazione ArcheoMe 4 minuto di lettura

THEATRE | Discovering Teatro Massimo in Palermo, the largest theatre in Italy

Palermo, the county seat of Sicily, offers the traveller numerous wonders of architecture, from the Arab-Norman to the Byzantine, and there is no lack of masterpieces that have evolved over time, in a fusion of different stylistic trends.

Every corner has something to offer, but the historic centre certainly holds architectural jewels of cultural and artistic interest, such as the Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele, better known simply as Teatro Massimo.

The structure of the Teatro Massimo

The Massimo is the largest theatrical building in Italy and the third largest in Europe, after the Opéra National in Paris and the Staatsoper in Vienna. 

The entire external structure features elements in neoclassical style, with references to Greek and Roman religious architecture: the front façade is made up of a pronaos of six Corinthian columns, raised on a staircase, on either side of which there are two bronze lion-shaped sculptures, allegories of Tragedy and Opera. The vault with the enormous hemispherical dome is also in neoclassical style and a system of rollers allows the temperature of the interior to be regulated.

Façade of Teatro Massimo

The colossal dimensions of the theatre are due not only to the imposing monumental façade, but also to the set of halls, galleries and representative rooms that surround and complete the theatre itself.

The halls of the Massimo

The main hall, or Great Hall, has a horseshoe shape and contains five orders of 31 boxes each, in addition to the gallery. It has a capacity of 1247 seats and the hall boasts perfect acoustics. The stalls are overlooked by the Symbolic Wheel, a special ceiling composed of eleven wooden panels frescoed in the shape of a petal representing the “Triumph of Music” by Luigi Di Giovanni. The petals are mobile: a mechanism modulates their opening upwards, so that warm air can escape and guarantee excellent ventilation of the theatre in a natural way.

Moving panels

At the centre of the second tier of boxes is the so-called Palco Reale, designed by Ernesto Basile, with 27 seats and a private foyer: the “Salone del Sovrano“, embellished with mahogany coverings and a sumptuous Murano chandelier; red brocade armchairs and sofas complete the furnishings and 9 mirrors are fixed on the walls. On the doors and capitals is affixed the Savoy royal coat of arms. 

The guided tour of the theatre also takes the visitor inside the Sala Pompeiana: the whole room is designed according to proportionality linked to the number 7 and its multiples. The symbolism of number 7 refers to the musical notes, the strings of the lyre, the days of the week and the deadly sins and Christian virtues.

Other rooms in the theatre include the Palco Bellini, once a meeting place and cultural circle, the Sala degli Stemmi, the Foyer and the Sala del Caffè.

Historical notes

Work began in 1875 and was led by architect Giovan Battista Filippo Basile, winner of the call for tenders issued in 1864. Upon his death, his son Ernesto Basile took over, who completed his father’s project at the request of the Municipality of Palermo.

The official opening of the theatre finally came on 16 May 1897 with Falstaff by Giuseppe Verdi, premiered in Palermo. This was followed by years of splendour and great performances, especially lyrical ones. In 1974 the theatre closed for restoration works: it remained abandoned for a very long period, until 1997, when it was finally reopened.

Curiosities about the Teatro Massimo

It is said that king Umberto I, on a visit to Palermo, did not want to enter the theatre during the inauguration, because he found inappropriate the presence of such a sumptuous building in a city he considered not to be as prominent as Palermo.

The Teatro Massimo was built by demolishing the church of San Francesco delle Stimmate and the convent of San Giuliano. During the demolition works, however, the tomb of the first Mother Superior of the convent would have been desecrated.

Legend has it that the restless soul of the nun, known as “la Monachella”, still wanders around the rooms of the theatre, casting curses. Many have claimed to have seen the shadow of a nun wandering behind the scenes or in the basement. Moreover, there is a particular step, entering the theatre, called “the Nun’s step”, in which it is said that all those who do not believe the legend stumble upon it.

The Sala Pompeiana, also called “Rotonda del Mezzogiorno“, was once reserved for men only. If you stand in the middle of the room and speak, you can hear your voice amplified out of all proportion; but to those who are in the rest of the room the sound arrives distorted, to the point of making the words incomprehensible. What is said at the centre of the Rotonda del Mezzogiorno is impossible for those outside to understand. This particular resonance effect is due to a slight asymmetry of the room, purposely intentional.

The Massimo is very close to the causes of the LGBT community: every year, during the week of the Pride celebrations, the columns of its façade are illuminated by the colours of the rainbow flag.

Tradotto da: https://archeome.it/teatro-alla-scoperta-del-massimo-di-palermo-il-piu-grande-ditalia/

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Redazione ArcheoMe 2 minuto di lettura

THEATRE | The curtain falls to the theatre Vittorio Emanuele of Messina in 2020

The curtain fell before their start on many of plays and ballets scheduled in the 2019/2020 artistic season of the theatre Vittorio Emanuele of Messina. Like all other national theatres, even the historic one in the city of the Strait closed its doors for the second time this year, in compliance with the new Prime Minister’s Decree that establishes and tightens measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. The theatre season showed a great start in October last year with Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”, directed by Sergio Rubini together with Luigi Lo Cascio. Full house and a warm welcome from the audience.

Before the closing of the theatres last March, the brilliant and hilarious “Massimo Lopez and Tullio Sollenghi show” amused, entertained and even touched the loyal visitors of the former trio, now a duo, of italian comedians, for two hours and non-stop.

Indeed, the curtain fell but not the desire to go back to sit on the red armchairs, enjoy the darkness in the audience in the moments before the start of a show, as much a play, ballet as opera, and then witness the magic that only the stage of a theatre can give to fans of the genre. The shows, scheduled for the 2020/2021 season, are for now suspended and postponed to a later date. Let us hope that it will be as soon as possible.

History

The Vittorio Emanuele Theatre of Messina was commissioned by Ferdinand II of Bourbon in 1842 and saw its inauguration ten years later. Due to the devastating earthquake of 1908 it was seriously compromised and underwent extensive restoration work, which almost entirely rebuilt it and ended only in 1980. It was inaugurated again in 1985 and the first opera represented was “Aida”, the last to be performed before the earthquake.

The layout of Vittorio Emanuele Theatre

The entrance to the theatre is characterized by a three-arched portico, surmounted by the marble sculptural group “Time that discovers the Truth and Messina” created by the Messina sculptor Saro Zagari. The internal ceiling is decorated with a huge work by Renato Guttuso, depicting the myth of “Colapesce”, which dives into the waters of the Strait, surrounded by sirens. The fresco overlooks the stalls and offers a glimpse, with fairytale tones, of the depths of the sea and legend has it that the heroic swimmer supports even today the Messina tip of the island.

Tradotto da: https://archeome.it/teatro-il-vittorio-emanuele-di-messina-cala-il-sipario-sulla-stagione-2020/

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Redazione ArcheoMe 4 minuto di lettura

ARCHAEOLOGY | The archaeological area of Fiesole – Florence

The excavations in the archaeological area of Fiesole include a Roman theatre, the baths, an Etruscan-Roman temple and an archaeological museum, which houses finds dating from the third century BC to the second century BC

The archaeological area, bordered to the north by the Etruscan walls, preserves traces of Fiesole history: on the Etruscan temple of the 4th century BC, the Romans, after having conquered the city in the 1st century BC, built another temple and enriched the area with theatre and baths. Near the sacred area of the temple, a necropolis show the subsequent use of the area.

 

Roman Theatre

Built between the beginning of the first century BC and the beginning of the first century AD, it was the first building in the area to arouse interest and to be excavated: its ruins must have always been visible, if in the Middle Ages and in the following centuries the place was indicated by the villagers as “Buca delle Fate”, as evidence of some suggestive stories telling the Fairies of Fiesole, symbol of a happy time, had hidden themselves in dark cavities underground, in order not to see the horrible havoc that the Florentines made after having conquered the city in 1125.

In 1809 the Prussian Baron Friedman von Shellersheim, digging in search of precious objects, claimed to have found two rich sets in the ancient layouts of the theatre, but the news remains difficult to verify. The excavations for bringing the theatre to the light were systematically resumed in 1870 and ended between 1882 and 1900, with the reconstruction of the left side of the steps (cavea), also in view of public use.

The building had a large semicircular cavea, partly carved into the rock of the hill, and four main entrances (vomitoria), which gave access to the covered crypta gallery, which was to support a portico or another order of seats, of which, however, no traces remain. The cavea was divided into four sectors by means of narrow stairs, which allowed the public to take place more easily. Below is the orchestra and, opposite, the space dedicated to the theatrical representation; a wall with a central niche (the pulpitum) frontally delimited the stage (proscenium), behind which stood three doored stage front (the scaena frons), of which no architectural layouts remain, but only the foundation and some marble decorations.

 

The Roman Baths

Behind the theatre there are the ruins of the baths, dating back to Sulla’s times (1st century BC), restored and enlarged in the Hadrian period. They were discovered in 1891, when, finally, it was possible to let three arches operating that have always been visible: they, in fact, constituted the terrace of the baths towards the valley.

The baths are located along the walls and consist of the three classic rooms of the calidarium, tepidarium and frigidarium, plus other tubs and rooms. A rectangular pool and two basins (one of which immersed) were used for public baths: on their bottom many amphorae were found, used to purify the water, collecting the impurities that went to the bottom.

There are the remains of rooms for water heating and the production of steam, which was distributed in the various rooms by means of lead or terracotta pipes. In the calidarium, characterized by the cocciopesto floor, boiling water arrived, while in the tepidarium (consisting of three basins) lukewarm water was collected and, finally, in the frigidarium there was cold water; the frigidarium is divided by an arched layout (which has been rebuilt) which has a semicircular shape and is located next to the latrines. Perhaps there was also a cryptorticus that separated the basins. Some of the layouts were rebuilt following excavations.

 

The Temple

The Etruscan-Roman temple was built between the second half of the fourth century BC and the second century BC, although the area was in use for sacred rituals at least from the 7th century BC. It was excavated at the beginning of the 20th century and most likely corresponds to the ancient Fiesolano Capitolium .

The cell is the oldest part and is divided into three parts: this has led us to suppose that the temple was dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva (the latter is an attribution almost certain, as suggested by a Hellenistic bronze depicting an owl found nearby and now exhibited in the museum). In front of the temple there is a small decorated sandstone altar (4th century BC – 3rd century BC). In the Republican era the temple was rebuilt, raised and enlarged both on the wings and on the front, partly by reusing the walls of the previous building. The staircase, well preserved, has seven steps and reaches the stylobate on which stood the columns of the portico, surmounted by the pediment of the temple. The longest part of the stylobate suggests that the portico connected the temple to the Collegium.

On the left you can see the bases of three residual columns of the portico that surrounded the cell. Among these ruins were found bronze and silver coins (3rd century BC – 10th century AD). In this place, moreover, the remains of a barbarian burial ground from the Lombard period (7th-8th century AD) were found, built on an area of the cell, and the ruins of a Christian temple, built on the remains of the pagan one around the 3rd century AD

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News
Redazione ArcheoMe 2 minuto di lettura

THEATRE | How does the way of making theatre change after World War II

Theatrical research in Europe, in the 60s and 70s of the twentieth century, brought back the body work of the actor. As a result, the training was born, preparatory to the arrangement of the show. The laboratory gradually gets more and more important for the final staging, which is only the last part of a much longer journey. The show is only a portion of the work, not the most important.

The artistic contaminations

The theatre, in its experimentation, allows itself to be contaminated by other art forms, especially oriental ones such as yoga, meditation and martial arts, from which it borrows the spiritual philosophy and the harmony of creation.

The actor works on his inner balance and eliminate the scenery, to get to the character’s essence within himself. More and more often the director chooses to set up the work by getting rid as much as possible of all the ornaments and supports: what it remains only the actor who can find a sort of relationship with the spectators.

The Poor Theatre of Grotowski

The Polish director Grotowski pursued this philosophy and called it “Poor Theatre”: the staging was reduced to a minimum, to shift the focus on the preparation of the actors, who went through a rigid physical and vocal training to enhance their expressive skills.

The fundamental moment for Grotowski, in fact, was not the show, but the rehearsals, during which a close relationship was established between the director and the actor.

The Odin Teatret by Eugenio Barba

Eugenio Barba is an Italian director and was a pupil of the master Grotowski. In 1964 he founded Odin Teatret, a multicultural theatre company, in Oslo, Norway.
Crucial point of the group’s research is the depth of the actor’s work through training. The preparation laboratory can last for years and cannot be bound to the tight deadlines of the production of shows.

For the first time in their work, the pedagogical approach appears, through which the actors prepare themselves by comparing themselves. They are pushed by the director to acquire the most suitable means of expression for themselves. Personal study is fostered, drawing on different cultures and performative traditions. The company and the director make numerous trips to inform themselves, in order to enrich their cultural and artistic experience, coming into contact with other styles and techniques.
The training  finally becomes a tool for personal growth, to coach an actor prepared and responsive to every incentive provided by the text and the director. The latter gives input, but the research is entirely of the actor, free to convey, in the laboratory phase, real emotions.

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