Gli Spectacula di Pellegrino Prisciani e il revival del teatro classico a Ferrara

Il contributo di Ercole I, duca di Ferrara (1471-1505) alla riscoperta e rappresentazione delle commedie classiche di Plauto e Terenzio è stato ampiamente riconosciuto dalla critica. A Ferrara il revival della commedia latina esce dagli angusti circoli intellettuali e viene per la prima volta recitata in volgare per interessare un pubblico più vasto.

The staging of Roman Comedy at the court of Ercole I in Ferrara between 1486 and 1504 represents a milestone in the development of modern theatre; select plays of Plautus and Terence were staged for the first time in vernacular and adapted to suit a Renaissance audience. This paper investigates, in particular, the nature of the temporary theatre buildings that hosted these spectacles through a combined study of Pellegrino Prisciani's Spectacula, a short treatise on ancient theatre buildings, and the sparse but precise references contained in temporary chronicles. Prisciani's work appears as a conscious and informed interpretation of the theories formulated by Vitruvius and interpreted by Leon Battista Alberti. At the Ferrara court, the careful application of Vitruvius' architectural principles was filtered through local culture and resulted in the realisation of theatre spaces whose sophistication resembled that of later permanent theatres.