Outside the Box

Notes about the theatre and the First World War

Abstract

The essay offers an analysis of Italian theatre’s situation during the years of the First World War. The discontinuity caused by the outbreak of the conflict has important consequences not only in terms of language and style, but also of organization: in this period comes the “grottesco”, the first plays by Pirandello, the phenomenon of stardom, the outbreak of the controversy about theatrical trust, the new relationship between theatre and cinema. At the end of the war Italian scene has changed significantly, so much so that the war period can be properly understood as “foundational” for the Italian theatre.