A stage to produce dreams : scenographic architecture at the Manoel

Abstract

When Grand Master Manoel De Vilhena inaugurated the first theatre in Malta in 1732, the architectural shape characteristic of Italian theatres was steadily penetrating the different courts and main cities of Europe. As Fabrizio Cruciani points out, this spatial diffusion was to give rise to the hegemonic concept of a theatre space prevailing up to the twentieth century. Besides spreading the shape of their theatres, the Italians also diffused their forms of theatrical entertainment, particularly opera, and with this their staging techniques. The art of scenography had greatly developed in the course of the seventeenth century thanks to the creativity and fame of Italian scenographers such as Giacomo Torelli and Vigarani. Moreover, important treatises had been written on the subject by specialists such as Nicola Sabbatini and Fabrizio Carini Motta. When Romano Carapecchia who is believed to have designed the Manoel Theatre came to Malta after 1706, he brought with him the knowledge he had accumulated in building theatres and scenery in Italy. In fact, between 1689-91, about sixteen years before coming to the island, Carapecchia himself had written a treatise about scenography which had remained unpublished. It may be supposed that he may have contributed to stage design at the Manoel, by putting into practice the ideas he had jotted on paper over thirty years earlier.