Studi bresciani

Just before and after the entry of the city of Brescia into the political dependence of the Cisalpine Republic, several attempts to reform the theatre of the city took place. These efforts have been unanimously presented by the historiography as the most eloquent symptom of the liveliness of Brescia’s patriotic movement. However, a comparison of the surviving proposals provides us with a more complex picture, one that shows the fragmentation of the Brescian ruling group after the expulsion of the Venetians. Two different currents seem to face each other within the government, finding a fertile battleground in the theatrical reform. The regeneration of the stage represents an urgent need for the Italian intellectual world throughout the 18th century, to which the Cisalpine authorities tried to uniformly respond with the famous and troubled competition «for the reorganisation of the national theatres». Nonetheless, the Brescian proposals and the hoped outcomes lie within two non-overlapping conceptions of the theatrical experience. The consideration of these opposite visions force us to shift the focus of our attention from a hypothetical cohesive movement to the various individuals who animated it. Revealing of the ongoing clash is the comparison between the legislation of the Provisional Government, the proposals of the Cisalpine period and their outcomes. On the other hand, the consideration of the parallel situation of the theatres in Milan is also useful in this regard. Lastly, the theatre will provide a privileged point of observation of the external influences on the Brescian movement.