Process and product in Italian Conceptual Theatre

Between the mid-seventies and early eighties the Italian
experimental scene was crossed by a profound artistic ferment
and by the proliferation of “trends”, events (festivals, shows) and
theatrical formations.
In 1976, in particular, the New Italian Theatre experienced its most
“utopian” phase: the artists of the third generation of the
avant-garde undertake, in fact, a radical refoundation of the scenic
code. What emerges in many theoretical statements as well as
through the proposed stage shows is the idea of a “zero degree”
of the scenic language, which is disrupted in its pre-semantic signs.
Following on from the lesson of Conceptual Art, theatre undergoes
therefore a self-reflexive research and is broken down, in an analytical
way, in its phonemic units.
The present essay aims to analyse the creative processes and the
deconstruction that characterise the Conceptual Theatre, also
through the narration of some of the most important experiences that
emerged in those years.