CONVERSATION AT THE THEATRE

Time: January 16 1770, at night.

Place: Stage of the Teatro Scientifico Bibiena
Characters: -Statue of Virgil
-Statue of Pomponazzo

(Virgil wakes up)

P: All hail your Excellency Virgil! (he exclaims)

V:All hail to you mister…?
P:My name is Pietro Pomponazzi, a great admirer of yours. I’m a Philosopher and a Humanist.
(bow)
V: Glad to meet you, Pomponazzo, I guess you already know me!
P: All the cultured men of my age knew you; Your works used to be studied as an example of
ancient culture.
V:I’m honoured.
P: It’s my pleasure!
V: Excuse me, but, where are we? (looks around)
P: I’m sure we are in our town, Mantova.
V: What place is this?
P:It’s a theatre, but not one of my time.
V: Nor mines! They were built open-air, on the model of Greek theatres, they could host more
people than this one and there were not so many sumptuous decorations.
P: In my time the theatres were smaller, only the nobles and literary men used to attend the
performances.
V: Tell me then, please, what plays were performed?
P:There were plays and tragedies, they were performed in prose and Niccolò Machiavelli was
a great playwright. They used to talk about common life and they were influenced by ancient
philosophy.
V: There were tragedies and plays in my age too but they were performed in poetry; we were
inspired by Greek authors talking about ancient legends on heroes and gods.
But… What theatre is this?
P:While you were still unconscious, a man, who seemed to be the architect, came here, an
Antonino Galli Bibiena; he was discussing with a man, the Conte Carlo Ottavio di Colloredo,
director of the Accademia dei Timidi, the one who commissioned the building.
V:And what did he say?
P: It’s a Teatro Scientifico, built to host gatherings of scholars and literary men, and wanted
by the Accademia. But it will be used also for concerts and performances.
Look up there ( pointing with his finger), it’s not like the other theatres; the public can
attend also from the loggias behind the stage.

V: Concerts, did you say concerts?

P: Yes, and tomorrow is coming a very talented young man!
V: What’s his name?
P: The count said: Wolfgang Amedeus Mozart.
V: So…tomorrow we will see him! Do you see, dear Pomponazzo, how the theatre has changed?
P: What do you mean?
V: In Rome and Greece we used to talk about human thoughts and everyday life, you used to
perform plays in prose and now the theatre is not only a place to perform, but you can also
discuss about science.
P: You’re right my master!
(Noise)
P:Mind, we’d better be silent and not be found out!What would they do if they saw two
statues talking?
V:Hush, I don’t want to know!

(They turn into stone)

Luca Busani