Les spectacles patriotiques milanais: espaces et conditions de représentation

The Cisalpine Republic and particularly its capital were the main center both of the “Jacobin” theatre in the Italian Triennio and of the lively debate on the renewal of theatre as an institution, which was on-going in the press and was promoted by the government itself through the famous competition of 1797 for new projects. On the plane of theory, considerable attention was given to theatre architecture, the decor and democratization of spaces in the playhouse, or the quality of costumes, but there also was an intense practical initiative in this field, that of republican amateur societies. The main focus of this contribution based on research at the Archivio di Stato in Milan are the Giovani Repubblicani, founded just after the arrival of the French in Milan, in May 1796. The essential problems of these companies were finding and keeping spaces they could adapt to theatre use through the highs and lows of a difficult political and military situation, and funding their equipment: their strategies changed with the changing political climate, particularly from the First to the Second Cisalpine Republic. The Milanese dilettanti troupes needed to constantly negotiate the conditions of stage production and representation with the local authorities; these interactions reveal many details on their activities and projects as well.