The exhibition “Theatre. Authors, actors and audiences in ancient Rome” sees beyond 240 works coming by 25 different lenders with an exhibition itinerary full of authentic rarities such as, for example, the Attic cup from the National Archaeological Museum of Florence with one of the very rare representations of a phallophoria, a procession in honor of Dionysus, god of the theatre; a unique example of an ancient terracotta mask from the “Paolo Orsi” Regional Archaeological Museum of Syracuse or the famous “Pronomos vase” from the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, perhaps the most important of the theatrical finds found. Furthermore, among the variety of selected finds, we highlight the extraordinary miniature masks of Greek tragedy and comedy from the island of Lipari; figurines of actors, dancers and jugglers from the Magna Graecia world; the representation of the "birth of Helen from the egg" on a Magna Graecia vase from the series depicting the "Phlaic" comedies; a series of theatrical miniatures, many never exhibited in the exhibition, coming from Tarquinian contexts; with respect to the stage music sector, rare and delicate original musical instruments such as tibiae, remains of zithers, crotales, sistrums, many of which have been faithfully reproduced in copies for the occasion in order to allow the visitor to experience their sound; a "sample" of mask models never exhibited in Rome coming from the workshop of a Pompeii craftsman, the large wall frescoes of a "dressing room" for the theater company coming from the Roman theater of Nemi; a series of 12 gems from the Roman era with theatrical subjects; the extraordinary portrait of Marcello and the bronze mask of Papposileno from the Fondazione Sorgente Group collection.
The masks will be the leitmotif of this exhibition
From the oldest ones that have survived to the present day (5th century BC) to the Hellenistic ones of the 3rd – 2nd century BC, up to the spectacular ones from the Roman era. Masks are also long-lasting scenic "characters", tragic, comical and grotesque: the visitor will thus discover the very ancient origins of many characters of modern theatre, from the old misanthrope, to the young seducer, from the shrewd servant to the young lovers hindered by the different social conditions.
The exhibition itinerary unfolds through seven sections, with a narrative thread in a chronological sense
The first section, entitled Genesis, tells the importance of the Dionysian cult at the roots of the Greek theatrical tradition and the value of the theater for democratic life in Athens.
The second section, entitled Italic and Magna Graecia roots, highlights the contribution that Etruria, Magna Graecia and the Italic peoples provided to the rise of Latin theatre.
The third section presents the Roman comic tradition, moving from the construction of characters, real masks of human types in Plautus, to the reflective and introspective spirit of Terence's characters.
The fourth section, entitled The tragedy in Rome, presents the main protagonists of the tragic production in the Republican period, of which little remains, then focusing on two characters of great caliber such as Seneca and Nero.
The fifth section, entitled The protagonists and the music. Aspects related to the organization of the shows are described here, such as the composition of the theater companies and the production of the artisans who made the masks.
The sixth section, entitled Architecture, intends to reflect on the monumental legacy left by the ancient theatre, through architectural ruins, in many cases majestic and still functioning.
The seventh section, entitled Current affairs of the classic, created in collaboration and with the contribution of the Department of Modern Letters and Cultures of the University of Rome “Sapienza” and of the INDA (National Institute of Ancient Drama): through a selection of historical posters of shows performed at the Greek theater of Syracuse, video montages of contemporary stagings and other material and photographic evidence, referring in particular to Pasolini's experience.
The exhibition is promoted by Roma Capitale, Capitoline Superintendence of Cultural Heritage with the organization of Zètema Progetto Cultura. Exhibition curated by Orietta Rossini and Lucia Spagnuolo. Media Partners: Rai Public Utilities, Rai Radio3, La Repubblica. Catalogue: Bretschneider's Herma, edited by Salvatore Monda, Orietta Rossini and Lucia Spagnuolo.
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