The purpose of this course will be to explore the dynamics of spectacle and performance (artistic, political, sexual, anthropological) in representative plays by major Italian authors of the 20th century. A close analysis of works by the Futurists, Eleonora Duse, Pirandello, Fo, and Ovadia will enable us to address questions of a textual and critical nature related to contemporary social issues. Special attention will be given to the representation of individual and societal tensions, the imaging of the female voice, and the relations between the political and artistic imagination.