Calderón – by Fabio Condemi
The play
Calderón is perhaps the most complex step in Pier Paolo Pasolini’s voyage as a playwright. A multi-layered text in which the narratives continuously merge, expand and reconnect, enriching a turbulent imaginative universe. The writing and the imagery of Calderón de la Barca encounter those of Bertolt Brecht, highly influenced by Roland Barthes’ insight; at the same time, the pro-Franco Spain from the 60’s and the student revolution movements provide a fundamental ground for a controversial interpretation of recent History and its heritage, while Velazquez’s painting and technique acts as an overhead visual reference that guides the staging.
In prologue of “Calderón”, Pasolini sheds a new light on the concept of representation and the relationship between theatre and spectators, moving against «those responsible of the incoming new era […] who, with their awareness of the present and of the possibilities of the future, assume the experiences from last year as decrepit: and let’s not even talk about the language they use! ». Platonic dialogues function as a dramaturgical source, alongside Freudian psychoanalysis and theological studies on body, while dreamlike world is seen, at the same time, as a prison and as utopia.
This intricate semiotic labyrinth, where signs and signification coexist, opens a narrow passage that crosses the ingenious language of Pasolini’s text and train of thoughts. The spectators are called to question themselves deeply about their being part of a controversial History, together with their physical presence, with their labour, with their responsibility, with their dreams.
Premiere: Teatro Arena del Sole, novembre 22
