Italian Soundscape in Performance: Voices, Accents and Local Sonorities of Shakespeare’s History Plays in Italy (2000-2020)

Abstract

While scholarship on the utilization of dialects and accents in stagings of Shakespeare’s plays on the British stage has recently emerged (Massai 2020; Lee 2020), systematic discussions on the “theatre phonetics” (Calamai 2006, xvi, my translation) of Italian Shakespearean productions struggle to be initiated. In particular, scholarly output seems to limit itself to various references to or a mild consideration of single productions, or even to gloss over the treatment of histories. As a result, this paper engages with performances of history plays in the first two decades of the new millennium, from 2000 to 2020, with the aim of determining their phonetic garment. Through a qualitative analysis of reviews, websites, videos and information provided by theatre practitioners, I investigate whether standard Italian, accents or dialects are used in performances put on in Italian theatres in the selected time frame, showing the limited embracement of phonetic alterity. In addition, only partially drawing inspiration from the publications of the English-speaking world, I focus on critical attitudes and expectations towards the Shakespearean (translated) language and go beyond the phonetic dimension, which reveals the existence of prefabricated ideas. From a broader perspective, my research ultimately aims to contribute to informing international aural and reception studies centred on Shakespeare as an author performed worldwide.