The Third Space of Theatre Architecture. Between the Stage and the City

Francesca Serrazanetti

Authors

Francesca Serrazanetti Politecnico di Milano

Keywords:

theatre, architecture, façade, public space, memory

Abstract

Theatre design has always looked, through history, to its relation with the city. Recently, when much attention has been paid to the practices of cultural participation, architecture has consequently again changed its approach to theatre typology and its relation with the public urban space: the focus seems to have moved to the role of the entrance, the façade and the public spaces outside the stage in continuity with the public space of the street.

Through the use of selected case studies, this article investigates theatre places as they have been designed and occupied in the last ten years by analysing the relations between artists, architects, audiences and the city. The engagement with the idea of time and the tension between theatres’ civic role and their provocative transformation are the core of this investigation.

Author Biography

Francesca Serrazanetti, Politecnico di Milano

with a PhD in architecture, she teaches and conducts research at the Politecnico di Milano, exploring architectural and theatrical themes. She is founder and editor of Stratagemmi, a journal of theatre studies and webzine. She regularly contributes to both theatre and architecture magazines and is a member of the editorial team of Casabella. She is director of Moleskine’s “Inspiration and Process in Architecture” book series. She manages curatorial, editorial and research projects.