Russian Theatre
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
Conoscenze: La/Lo studente avrà conoscenze approfondite riguardo all'evoluzione delle pratiche sceniche, alle tecniche espressive, ai principali metodi di recitazione e regia nel teatro russo contemporaneo. Conoscerà inoltre alcune delle principali riletture dei classici russi proposte da registi russi e italiani degli ultimi anni.
Competenze: La/Lo studente consoliderà la capacità di analizzare e interpretare il testo drammatico e la messinscena, di discutere e argomentare i materiali oggetto del corso e di applicare il metodo su altri esempi. Sarà in grado di collocare nel tempo gli autori, le correnti e le opere principali del periodo studiato; saprà utilizzare in modo appropriato la terminologia degli studi teatrali; saprà mettere in luce somiglianze e differenze tra i testi letti e cogliere le principali istanze interpretative delle messe in scena analizzate, ponendole in relazione con il loro contesto storico, politico e sociale; saprà individuare e analizzare i processi di evoluzione del teatro nello spazio digitale.
Competenze: La/Lo studente consoliderà la capacità di analizzare e interpretare il testo drammatico e la messinscena, di discutere e argomentare i materiali oggetto del corso e di applicare il metodo su altri esempi. Sarà in grado di collocare nel tempo gli autori, le correnti e le opere principali del periodo studiato; saprà utilizzare in modo appropriato la terminologia degli studi teatrali; saprà mettere in luce somiglianze e differenze tra i testi letti e cogliere le principali istanze interpretative delle messe in scena analizzate, ponendole in relazione con il loro contesto storico, politico e sociale; saprà individuare e analizzare i processi di evoluzione del teatro nello spazio digitale.
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge: Students will gain an in-depth knowledge of the development of stage practices, expressive techniques, and the main methods of acting and directing in contemporary Russian theatre. They will also be introduced with some of the most significant reinterpretations of Russian classics presented by Russian and Italian directors in recent years.
Skills: Students will develop their ability to analyse and interpret dramatic texts and stage productions, to discuss and critically engage with course materials, and to apply the methods learnt to other examples. They will be able to place authors, movements and key works of the period studied in their historical context. Students will be able to use theatre studies vocabulary appropriately, to highlight similarities and differences between the texts, and to identify the main interpretive approaches of the productions analysed, linking them to their historical, political and social contexts. They will also be able to identify and examine the processes of the development of theatre in the digital space.
Skills: Students will develop their ability to analyse and interpret dramatic texts and stage productions, to discuss and critically engage with course materials, and to apply the methods learnt to other examples. They will be able to place authors, movements and key works of the period studied in their historical context. Students will be able to use theatre studies vocabulary appropriately, to highlight similarities and differences between the texts, and to identify the main interpretive approaches of the productions analysed, linking them to their historical, political and social contexts. They will also be able to identify and examine the processes of the development of theatre in the digital space.
Lesson period: Second semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course cannot be attended as a single course. Please check our list of single courses to find the ones available for enrolment.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
Second semester
Course syllabus
This course explores the legacy and transformation of selected masterpieces of Russian literature and drama through an intermedial lens. Starting from the original texts, we will examine how these works have been reinterpreted and translated into other artistic languages—particularly from theatre to cinema and from literature to the stage. The aim is to understand not only the distinctive features of the source texts but also the semantic potential and the risks inherent in processes of adaptation and rewriting, as well as the dynamics of audience reception.
The course is divided into three main sections, which may be addressed in a non-chronological order:
A) Outline of the History of Russian Drama
This introductory section provides a historical overview of the evolution of Russian theatre, from its origins up to the mid-20th century.
B) Classics of Russian Literature and Theatre
This section focuses on key texts from the 19th and early 20th centuries, selected from both narrative and dramatic works that continue to play a significant role in Russian and broader European culture today.
C) Intermedial Adaptations
This section is dedicated to the analysis of transpositions and adaptations of the works discussed in Section B, with particular attention to the transitions from narrative to theatre and from theatre to cinema. Major theatrical productions and cinematic adaptations will be examined, focusing on directorial choices, textual reinterpretations, and aesthetic solutions.
Examination Requirements:
Students taking the 6-credit exam are required to cover Sections B and C.
Students taking the 9-credit exam must cover all three sections: A, B, and C.
The course is divided into three main sections, which may be addressed in a non-chronological order:
A) Outline of the History of Russian Drama
This introductory section provides a historical overview of the evolution of Russian theatre, from its origins up to the mid-20th century.
B) Classics of Russian Literature and Theatre
This section focuses on key texts from the 19th and early 20th centuries, selected from both narrative and dramatic works that continue to play a significant role in Russian and broader European culture today.
C) Intermedial Adaptations
This section is dedicated to the analysis of transpositions and adaptations of the works discussed in Section B, with particular attention to the transitions from narrative to theatre and from theatre to cinema. Major theatrical productions and cinematic adaptations will be examined, focusing on directorial choices, textual reinterpretations, and aesthetic solutions.
Examination Requirements:
Students taking the 6-credit exam are required to cover Sections B and C.
Students taking the 9-credit exam must cover all three sections: A, B, and C.
Prerequisites for admission
The course, which is held in Italian, the materials and the exam bibliography require specific skills in Russian history, use of terminology and critical analysis acquired in previous courses.
Teaching methods
During the course the following teaching methods will be employed: frontal lessons; reading and commenting on scenes from the scheduled works; viewing and commenting on documentaries, films and theatrical performances.
Teaching Resources
The course is supported by a dedicated webpage on the Ariel online teaching platform, where additional materials provided by the instructor will be made available. Below is the list of required readings for the various teaching units, along with the reference editions.
Exam Programme for Attending Students (NOTE: An attending student is defined as one who has attended at least 75% of the classes and has actively participated in class discussions.)
PART A:
Required reading from the textbook: A History of Russian Theatre, edited by R. Leach and V. Borovsky, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1999. Chapters: 3, 5, 11, 13, 14
PART B:
Mandatory readings for all students:
Alexander Pushkin, Boris Godunov
Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment
Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
Alexander Ostrovsky, Without a Dowry
Anton Chekhov, The Cherry Orchard
Optional readings (choose one author and one corresponding work):
Alexander Griboedov, Woe from Wit
Mikhail Lermontov, A Masquerade
Nikolai Gogol, The Government Inspector
Ivan Turgenev, A Month in the Country
Anton Chekhov, Three Sisters
PART C:
Audiovisual materials, which will be screened during class sessions and made available on Ariel.
Additionally, all students (both 6 and 9 ECTS credits) are required to study a selection of critical essays, which will be listed on Ariel prior to the start of the course.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
Students taking the 6 ECTS exam must study Parts B and C. Students taking the 9 ECTS exam must study Parts A, B, and C.
Students enrolled in the Master's programme (LM) who have already taken the exam during their undergraduate studies must choose different optional readings from those previously studied. In case of doubt, please contact the instructor.
Students enrolled in the Master's Degree in Languages and Literatures for Education, Criticism, and Translation are required to read at least two of the texts from Unit B (or at least 50 pages for each novel) in Russian.
Students from other degree programs who do not know Russian will be asked to work, for Part C, on adaptations by non-Russian directors (from a list of titles available on Ariel), although these will not be fully covered in class. Students may, if they wish, present a short report in class. Please contact the instructor for further guidance.
Exam Programme for Non-Attending Students: Same as for attending students, with the following additional requirements:
Two works (instead of one) must be selected from the optional reading list:
Alexander Griboedov, Woe from Wit
Mikhail Lermontov, A Masquerade
Nikolai Gogol, The Government Inspector
Ivan Turgenev, A Month in the Country
Anton Chekhov, Three Sisters
Additionally, the following chapters from the textbook must be studied:
A History of Russian Theatre, edited by R. Leach and V. Borovsky, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1999. Chapters: 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14
Exam Programme for Attending Students (NOTE: An attending student is defined as one who has attended at least 75% of the classes and has actively participated in class discussions.)
PART A:
Required reading from the textbook: A History of Russian Theatre, edited by R. Leach and V. Borovsky, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1999. Chapters: 3, 5, 11, 13, 14
PART B:
Mandatory readings for all students:
Alexander Pushkin, Boris Godunov
Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment
Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
Alexander Ostrovsky, Without a Dowry
Anton Chekhov, The Cherry Orchard
Optional readings (choose one author and one corresponding work):
Alexander Griboedov, Woe from Wit
Mikhail Lermontov, A Masquerade
Nikolai Gogol, The Government Inspector
Ivan Turgenev, A Month in the Country
Anton Chekhov, Three Sisters
PART C:
Audiovisual materials, which will be screened during class sessions and made available on Ariel.
Additionally, all students (both 6 and 9 ECTS credits) are required to study a selection of critical essays, which will be listed on Ariel prior to the start of the course.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
Students taking the 6 ECTS exam must study Parts B and C. Students taking the 9 ECTS exam must study Parts A, B, and C.
Students enrolled in the Master's programme (LM) who have already taken the exam during their undergraduate studies must choose different optional readings from those previously studied. In case of doubt, please contact the instructor.
Students enrolled in the Master's Degree in Languages and Literatures for Education, Criticism, and Translation are required to read at least two of the texts from Unit B (or at least 50 pages for each novel) in Russian.
Students from other degree programs who do not know Russian will be asked to work, for Part C, on adaptations by non-Russian directors (from a list of titles available on Ariel), although these will not be fully covered in class. Students may, if they wish, present a short report in class. Please contact the instructor for further guidance.
Exam Programme for Non-Attending Students: Same as for attending students, with the following additional requirements:
Two works (instead of one) must be selected from the optional reading list:
Alexander Griboedov, Woe from Wit
Mikhail Lermontov, A Masquerade
Nikolai Gogol, The Government Inspector
Ivan Turgenev, A Month in the Country
Anton Chekhov, Three Sisters
Additionally, the following chapters from the textbook must be studied:
A History of Russian Theatre, edited by R. Leach and V. Borovsky, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1999. Chapters: 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14
Assessment methods and Criteria
The exam consists of an individual interview, which includes questions asked by the teacher and the analysis and commentary of one or more excerpts taken from the works scheduled. The interview has a variable duration and takes place in Italian. Students of Lingue e letterature per la formazione, la critica e la traduzione will also have to demonstrate that they can read and translate at least two works n Russian among those indicated. The interview aims to check the knowledge of the texts read, the ability to contextualize authors and works and to use specific terminology, the ability to critically and personally reflect on the issues proposed. The final mark is expressed in thirtieths, and the student has the right to refuse it (in this case it will be recorded as "withdrawn").
International or Erasmus incoming students are invited to promptly contact the teacher. The examination procedures for students with disabilities and / or with DSA must be agreed with the teacher, according to the competent Office.
International or Erasmus incoming students are invited to promptly contact the teacher. The examination procedures for students with disabilities and / or with DSA must be agreed with the teacher, according to the competent Office.
Part A and B
L-LIN/21 - SLAVIC STUDIES - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Part C
L-LIN/21 - SLAVIC STUDIES - University credits: 3
Lessons: 20 hours
Professor(s)