Pirandello: Six Characters in Search of an

Since its explosive premiere in Rome in 1921, Six Characters in Search of an Author has gained worldwide recognition. Pirandello's challenge to the very notion of stage representation was taken up by the leading directors of the time. The playwright incorporated details from the early performances into his revised text, which he directed himself in 1925. Jennifer Lorch examines the two texts in the context of different theatrical traditions and traces Pirandello's growing awareness of the development of advanced theatrical facilities outside Italy. She also offers an analysis of selected productions of the play in Italy, England, France, the USA, Germany and Russia in both commercial and avant-garde theatres. This comprehensive study includes a production chronology, bibliography and illustrations from major productions.

List of illustrations

ix

General preface

xi

Acknowledgements

xii

Introduction

1

(154)

1 Six Characters in Search of an Author- the play (1921)

15

(16)

2 The first production: Teatro Valle, Rome, 9 May 1921, directed by Dario Niccodemi

31

(13)

3 Two early productions in London and New York (1922)

44

(10)

4 Pitoëffs production in Paris (1923)

54

(14)

5 Reinhardt's production in Berlin (1924)

68

(11)

6 Pirandello's production of the 1925 text (1925)

79

(14)

7 Six Characters on the Italian stage (1936-1993)

93

(31)

8 Two English productions (1929 and 1963)

124

(11)

9 Becoming part of national theatre in France and England

135

(20)

10 Making Six Characters accessible: Robert Brustein and Richard Jones

155

(15)

11 Pushing at the frontiers of theatre: Klaus Michael Gruber and Anatoli Vasiliev

170

(25)

12 A brief look at Six Characters in other media

195

(4)

Conclusion

199

(5)

Select production chronology

204

(6)

Notes

210

(29)

Select bibliography

239

(8)

Index

247

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Pirandello: Six Characters in Search of an Author

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Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials