Introduction

Abstract

In the opinion of the well-known Italian scholar Marco De Marinis, the 20th century has been a golden age for Western theatre. Il teatro dopo l'etá d'oro is the title of his recent volume, which outlines a balance of the theatrical experiences of the last century with a view to the present day. Beset by competition from the most powerful audiovisual media and on several occasions considered dead or dying, theatre has undergone constant evolution throughout the 20th century, in some cases introducing radical changes in stage performance. These are not only structural innovations, such as the appearance of the figure of the stage director, the new role of the actor and the audience, or aesthetic ones, brought about by technical advances, but also, and perhaps above all, an ethical revolution: never before has theatre questioned so much about why make theatre and for whom, never before has it placed the political nature of its essence at the centre of its reflection.