Carro di Tespi
Encyclopedia
Carro di Tespi was a travelling Italian
theatrical company that was formerly supported by the Fascist
regime. It was started in 1930 to bring opera
to the masses.
The Carro di Tespi brought opera to many Italian cities that did not have regular opera seasons, as well as some that did. It normally toured in July, August and September to about forty locations with two or three operas. Troupes occasionally would perform directly from the back of their traveling trucks or wagons. They also performed throughout Europe.
The staging of La Bohème
, on an open-air stage in front of the Villa Puccini
in the summer of 1930 marked the inauguration of the modern Carro di Tespi. The company returned to Torre del Lago
in 1931 with Madam Butterfly and La Bohème
. During the remainder of the '30's, only one season was presented, in 1937, featuring last century's arguably most famous Puccinian heroine, Licia Albanese
.
Many well known names in Italian theater and opera got there start in the Carro di Tespi. In modern day Italy the Teatro Popolare Itinerante is a newer edition of this as is the annual Puccini Festival
.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
theatrical company that was formerly supported by the Fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
regime. It was started in 1930 to bring opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
to the masses.
The Carro di Tespi brought opera to many Italian cities that did not have regular opera seasons, as well as some that did. It normally toured in July, August and September to about forty locations with two or three operas. Troupes occasionally would perform directly from the back of their traveling trucks or wagons. They also performed throughout Europe.
The staging of La Bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
, on an open-air stage in front of the Villa Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
in the summer of 1930 marked the inauguration of the modern Carro di Tespi. The company returned to Torre del Lago
Torre del Lago
Torre del Lago is a town of almost 11,000 inhabitants, a frazione of the comune of Viareggio, in the province of Lucca, Tuscany, Italy, between the Lake of Massaciuccoli and the Tyrrhenian Sea....
in 1931 with Madam Butterfly and La Bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
. During the remainder of the '30's, only one season was presented, in 1937, featuring last century's arguably most famous Puccinian heroine, Licia Albanese
Licia Albanese
Licia Albanese is an Italian-born American operatic soprano. Noted especially for her portrayals of the lyric heroines of Verdi and Puccini, Albanese was a leading artist with the Metropolitan Opera of New York from 1940 to 1966...
.
Many well known names in Italian theater and opera got there start in the Carro di Tespi. In modern day Italy the Teatro Popolare Itinerante is a newer edition of this as is the annual Puccini Festival
Festival Puccini
The Festival Puccini is an annual summer opera festival held in July and August to present the operas of the famous Italian composer Giacomo Puccini....
.