Dramatic Arts

This course is an intensive introduction to the art of screen acting. Students will experiment with ‘intention’ through prescribed and self-selected scenes and develop skills in embodying character and working with physical and emotional fluency. Practical insight into dealing with the pressure of the camera’s gaze and learning to work objectively with one’s self image is given. Exercises will focus on the analysis of classic scenes from theater, film and television.

The course explores the artistic qualities and techniques of dance in musical theater through integrated theory and practice.

This course examines the theory and practice of playwriting, as well as the study and writing of short plays and screenplays.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. Through this course, the students:

• acquire knowledge about the origins and development of the main Asians theaters;
• know how to contextualize Asian theaters within an appropriate historical and anthropological framework;
• develop skills in research and interpretation of relevant documentary evidences (oral and written).
• are able to understand the aesthetic and theatrical principles underlying the different languages of the Asian theater;
• discern and interpret the main Asian models of theater;
• are able to recognise the intercultural dynamics between Eastern and Western theatrical traditions.

In Spring 2026, the focus of this course is the theatrical traditions of India. The course offers an overview of the main dance-theatre genres developed in India. Special attention is given to the role, techniques, and training of the performer, highlighting the centrality of the body in generating interest, emotion, and engagement in the spectator. The course also explores how these traditional genres relate to and interact with contemporary practices.

This course is an introduction to the role of the director, with emphasis on script analysis and interpretation.