Eleonora Duse and the Open Air Theatres
Eleonora Duse and the Open Air Theatres

Summary/Abstract: The actress Eleonora Duse had a particular attention to the outdoor performance, and a memorable moment in her long career was the juvenile staging of “Romeo and Juliet” in Verona. The impression of the audience and her emotions in the Roman Arena are described in the novel “The Flame of Life” (Il Fuoco), written by Gabriele d’Annunzio. Her artistic dream – shared with the Poet – was the building of an open air theatre in Albano Laziale, on the shores of the Lake: nothing came of this plan, but it would be an educational project aimed to the spiritual development of the people, creating a vital contact between Art and Nature. Duse’s desire of return to the en plein air dimension was also a form of avant-garde, as underlined Sheldon Cheney, considering the growth of the open air theatre movement in the 1910s and its importance for the new architectural design and the dramatic productions.

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