Mussolini's theatre : fascist experiments in art and politics / Patricia Gaborik.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gaborik, Patricia, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mussolini, Benito, 1883-1945.

Mussolini, Benito.

Fascism and theater--Italy--History--20th century.

Fascism and theater.

Fascism--Italy--History--20th century.

Fascism.

History.

Italy.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xiii, 312 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2021.

Summary:

Benito Mussolini has been persistently described as an actor: both 'merely' an actor and not a true, thinking politician - and as a master of illusions. In Mussolini's Theatre, Patricia Gaborik sets aside the metaphorical notions of Mussolini as an actor and instead tells the story of his life as a literal spectator, critic, impresario, dramatist, and censor of the stage. She recounts Mussolini's most significant theatrical influences, his relationships with a series of luminaries (Gabriele D'Annunzio and George Bernard Shaw chief among them), his oversight of stage censorship, and even his forays into playwriting to explore how the dictator's tastes and convictions shaped theatrical programming throughout fascist Italy. Bringing together history, biography, performance analysis, and aesthetic theory, the study shows how Mussolini's maneuverings in the theatre shed light on the nature and workings of Italian fascism as a whole.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: Dramatis Personae

1. Mussolini the Critic

2. Mussolini the Impresario, I. Fascism and the Art Theatre

3. Mussolini the Dramatist

4. Mussolini the Censor

5. Mussolini the Impresario, II. Fascism and the Theatre for Masses.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

ebook version :

ISBN:

9781108830591

1108830595

OCLC:

1201669040