10/01v. r. francisco1 renaissance theatre architecture by virginia r. francisco

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RENAISSANCE THEATRE ARCHITECTURE

by Virginia R. Francisco

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Italian Practice is Major Influence • productions began 1470• but only on special occasions• in temporary theatres

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Emphasis on Scenery

• even Serlio assumes no permanent building

• a theatre burned in Ferrara 1532• but not known to be permanent

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Temporary Theatres in Halls• stadium-like seating around an

orchestra• used to seat royal party• raised stage at ruler's eye level• front stage flat for actors• rear raked for scenery

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Scenery Not Meant to be Changed• Serlio’s 3 scenes were to be

enough for all plays

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Development of Permanent Theatres • after 1550: the Baroque Era• new concern for authority• return to orthodoxy • under growing pressure from

Protestantism

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Teatro Olimpico, Vicenza

• oldest surviving permanent theatre in Europe

• built 1585 by Olympic Academy, founded 1555

• specialized in Greek dramas• formerly produced on temporary

stages

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Teatro Olimpico Designed by Palladio• a member of the Olympic Academy• student of Vetruvius and of Roman

ruins

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Teatro Olimpico

• in existing building• necessarily semi-elliptical seating• around a small orchestra• http://www.vicenzanews

.it/APT_PRO/MUSEI/teatro_olimpico.htm

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Stage and Scenery

• rectangular stage• fixed facade with 5 openings• modified by Scamozzi• street scenes in perspective

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Teatro at Sabbionetta

• designed by Scamozzi, 1588• first purpose-built theatre building• designed as one unit

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The Proscenium Arch

• purpose is masking scene changes• served by downstage angle wings

and border• early proscenium arches were

temporary• oldest extant evidence is drawing• Bartolomeo Neroni, 1560

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Permanent Proscenium Arches• early at Uffizi court theatre,

Florence, 1586• designed by Bartolomeo Neroni• destroyed in c. 18

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Teatro Farnese at Parma

• designed by Giovani Battista Aleotti, 1618• first used 1628• first surviving theatre with permanent

proscenium arch • two more arches upstage• Auditorium Like Other Court Theatres• U-shaped stadium seating• large open orchestra

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Box, Pit, and Gallery Auditoria• used in middle ages in temporary

theatres• used in London (1567), Paris

(1558), Madrid (1579) public theatres

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Corrales in Spain

• Madrid, several temporary, 1570’shttp://www.coh.arizona.edu/spanish/comedia

/graphics/principe1.jpg

• Almagro, n.d., now restoredhttp://www.coh.arizona.edu/spanish/comedia

/graphics/almagro.html

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Standardized by Public Opera Houses• and professional opera troupes• first public theatre, San Cassiano, Venice,

1565• Opera of SS Giovanni e Paolo, Venice, 1639• plan is first extant evidence of bpg

auditorium• five levels of galleries• first two divided into boxes• parterre

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Venice Public Opera House• Box, pit, and gallery auditorium• Proscenium arch stage• Wing, drop, and border scenery• La Fenice, 1789

http://www.teatrolafenice.it/fenice/storia/frindpr.htm

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Surviving Renaissance Theatres• Drottingholms Slottsteater, 1766,

Swedenhttp://www.drottningholmsteatern.dtm.se/engelsk/

eframes_index.htm

• Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic• 1680, reconstructed and equipped

1765http://www.ckrumlov.cz/uk/zamek/5nadvori/i_bd.htm