The Inspirations
the prologue sets the ru- les of one of the strongest dra- maturgies in the opera world. e scene has a double purpose, showing the reality of a show and at the same time a human drama culminating in murder.
The plAy thAt the clownS repreSent in front of the AuDience tAkeS the forM of A live broADcASt,
spied by the unforgiving audience’s eye. e ef- fect is macroscopic: the drama falls in the public domain and the private is con- stricted in the folds of a TV studio where the character is at the mercy of cameras.
The triAngle choir-tele- viSion AuDience, verSuS Ac- tor-public perSon, verSuS MAn-privAte MAkeS pAgliAc- ci’S eMotionAl iMpAct even More eviDent,
even if the opera is written with the gross nuances of a crime story. From this derives the alienation of the audience, people who see themselves represented by the choir, the audience of a live broadcast; the reality show shows not only the private drama ending with a murder, but also the catharsis of the choir’s role, nulli ed in front of the succession of the events. e interpretation of private matters in front of an audience exists like nowhere else in the opera world, and re- mains a constant theme of our approach to mediatic everyday life.
the scene
On StAge we cAn See All the eleMentS thAt we finD in A televiSion StuDio.
In the foreground, cameras and dollies to amplify the audience’s eye. e struc- ture of the set highlights three di erent places: the studio, where everything rela- ting to the Clowns’ company take place; the commenting audience’s rows of seats, which appear like the steps, of an amphi- theatre, following the instances of a greek choir; and the private room, represented by the chairs of the director and of the studio assistant with the back of the sta- ge, where the human aspect is hidden, but uncovered by the camera. Everything is a performance made for the screen, both in the studio and on the projection of pla- ces behind the scenes, happening in real time.
