Teaching Programme

Programme - Group A

Programme - Group B

The face-to-face course will consist of a week of lessons, seminars and workshops. Before the beginning of the course, students will be asked to read a selection of texts specifically provided to them. At the end of the course, students of Group A will have to write a 5,000 word essay in order to get the certificate for the recognition of 6 ECTS credits.

Gruppo A

Group A (venue: Verona University)

Introduction to Shakespeare and the Mediterranean: past and present

A. Source study (narrative, iconographic, performative):

a.1 What is a source

  • The influence of Italian novellas and dramaturgy on Shakespeare
  • The Veronese and Veneto region cultural and visual imagery in Shakespeare
  • Performative models of Italian origin: Shakespeare and the Commedia dell’Arte

a.2: Romeo and Juliet in the Mediterranean: the past

  • The two Quartos
  • Narrative sources: from Italy to France to England
  • Italian cultural and visual models
  • Mediterranean performative models
  • Mediterranean archetypes of classical origin

 

B. Performance, intermediation and cultural studies

b.1: Intermediality and remediations

  • From theatre to screen to new digital media: Romeo and Juliet in the Mediterranean today
  •  Adaptations and reinterpretations of the play in Italy and in Mediterranean cultures (selected examples: from comics to ballet)

b.2: The myth of Romeo and Juliet in Verona

 

C. From theatre to the digital humanities:

  • Digital Shakespeare: what is a digital critical edition; introduction to digital humanities
  • An approach to digital archiving and mapping dedicated to the study of Italian, narrative and documentary material (visual and performative culture), as well as to intermedia adaptations (theatrical and films) of Romeo and Juliet.

Gruppo B

Group B (venue: Teatro Nuovo, foyer)

Classes will consist in Viewpoints training, aimed at developing spatial awareness and promoting orientation in space; vocal exercises, with a bilingual approach based on the practices of Laban, Linklater and Chekhov; techniques from Commedia dell’Arte and Laban; individual and group study of the scenes, with rehearsals led by Jaq Bessell. By integrating the disciplines of acting, voice and movement through an approach that responds to the specificities of the performative space and overcomes linguistic and disciplinary boundaries, the project will provide a model of interdisciplinary collaboration and creativity.

 

During the week, the two groups (A and B) will have the chance to interact and co-participate in each other’s activities in order to foster a dynamic exchange between research and performance.

Students will also get a chance to participate in evening events at the Roman Theatre and the Arena.

At the end of the course, an ‘open rehearsal’ by Group B will take place at the Teatro Nuovo. The performance will be open to students, teachers and citizens, and it will be followed by a public discussion on the work done during the Summer school, and on the possibility of further research exchanges between performers (Group B) and students (Group A).