Theatre Design & Technology - Feb 1972 - 34

1580, when he died before he saw the
completion of the Teatro Olimpico, Palladio
designed and built twenty-seven villas, seven of which remain in good repair today.
Architectural historians must indeed be indebted to Zorzi, for he has assembled a
wealth of information and documentary material; ground plans, elevation drawings, and
literally hundreds of black and white photographs to illuminate what must be the
major architectural contribution of Palladio's
career: the palatial mansion or villa (the
colored photographs of those still extant
are superb). His influence is considerable,
as much Engl ish and American architecture
since will illustrate.
For the theatre historian, Zorzi's account
of Palladio's work in the theatre is the most
comprehensive yet published, surpassing
even so fine a study as Leo Schrade's La
Representation d'Edipo Tiranno au Teatro
Olimpico (Paris, 1960), for Zorzi has
probed the archives of Italy for first-hand
accounts.
The wealth of documentary material is
considerable, and the descriptions and accounts of the theatres Palladio designed are
so intertwined with the activities of several
societies of Vicenza that the retelling of
Palladio's theatrical activities becomes a
comprehensive history of the Renaissance
academies in Vicenza during the sixteenth
century.
Before documenting the activities of the
Vicentian academies, Zorzi surveys Palladio's archeological interest in the theatres
of classical antiquity: his work on the
Vitruvian commentaries (with Daniele Barbaro), and his reconstructions of the ancient theatre of Verona and the Berga theatre
of Vicenza. In his description of the spirit
of activities-the mil ieu of Humanismthat prevailed in the environs of Vicenza
just previous to the organization of the
Olimpica, Zorzi suggests an influence upon
Palladio in the work of Sebastiano Serlio
done in Vicenza in 1539 and the activities
of I' Accademia dei 'Constanti.'
And then comes the account of the Olimpica Accademia from its beginning in 1556
through the inauguration of the Teatro Olimpico in 1585, five years after Palladio's
death. It contains a plethora of details and
Palladio's contributions are almost overshadowed in the seventy-five pages of descriptions, records, and accounts that document fully the production activities of the
Olimpica and the part Palladio played, particularly in the construction of the Teatro,
as well as the work after his death of Silla
Palladio (Andrea's son), and Vincenzo Scamozzi. The details are fascinating, too many
to dwell upon at length. Long lists of
Principe, Segretario, and members (year
after year), are preserved in the official
documents along with pertinent information

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relating to meetings and production plans,
as well as actual descriptions of performances. We've long known that the statuary
on the proscenium facade of the Teatro
Olimpico represents prominent members of
the Accademia and in superb photographs
many of them are identified for us. We see,
grandly garbed in glamorized Roman costumes, such Renaissance Humanists as
Pietro Conti, Pompeo Trissino, Girolamo
Schio and Pietro Porto (it was in the courtyard of the Porto palace that Serlio worked
in 1539), and the vitality of these men is
apparent.
Between 1557 and 1576, before he was
called upon to design their permanent theatre, Palladio was involved in ten productions
for the Olimpica. First, a revival of Andria
by Terence in 1 557, for which he erected a
temporary theatre similar to the reconstruction of a classical theatre he drew for the
Barbaro commentary on Vitruvius (1556). He
created "sontusos apparato" (sumptuous
appearances), for Giochi olimpici, an outof-door spectacle in 1558 and then created
a semi-permanent theatre in which the
Accademia did several productions: Amor
Constante by A. Piccolomini in 1561,
Sofonisba by G. Trissino in 1562, Machiavelli's Mandrogola in 1564, The Eunuchs
by Terence in 1567, and Glizia by Machiavelli in 1569. Records indicate two more
productions in 1570 and 1574 but the
titles have been lost. Monochromes of the
productions for Amor Constante and Sofonisba which still embellish the vestibule
walls of the Teatro Olimpico provide visual
evidence of the interior of this theatre. For
a revival of the Giochi olimpici festival in
1576, an out-of-door amphitheatre was
constructed on the Campo Marzio in Vic enza and contemporary drawings indicate it
was used again in 1588. Palladio was also
called upon to design a theatre for the production of I' Antigone, by Conte de Monte
for the Vicentian Compagne della Claza
"degli Accessi" in 1564.
The photographic section devoted to Palladio's theatrical work includes his early
archeological drawings as well as all the extant sketches and drawings he made for the
Teatro Olimpico. A handsome set of photographs shows clearly all the sections and
decoration of the theatre as it stands today.
There is no need for theatre historians to
speculate any longer about the theatrical
activities of Andrea Palladio or of the Accademia 01 impica, for in describing the theatres designed by Palladio, the architect
Zorzi has also provided a most comprehensive description of one of the most renowned Humanist societies of the Italian
Renaissance.

THEATER DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

Orville K. Larson
Kent State University

FEBRUARY, 1972
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Feb 1972
