Le regie goldoniane di Renato Simoni (1936-1947)

Abstract

The study aims to reconstruct Renato Simoni’s stage directing investigated through the analysis of the outdoor Goldonian performances set up for the Festival of Venice in the years 1936-1947. These exceptional events employed top level dramatic artists. Simoni was one of the first directors who responsibly exercises his professional function, a profession that struggled to settle in the national theater system. His directing, built on an idea centred on the text, according to Silvio d’Amico’s teaching, is based on a very accurate playwriting, that aims to revalue the Italian drama in its best acting tradition. Simoni never reached a tradition-breaking linguistic innovation, but achieved the connection between the word and the image, that will be a cornerstone of the critical stage directing after World War II.