Claudia
Federici

Head of the School of Scenography. She graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome in 1985 and has been working in the performing arts sector since 1982, focusing primarily on theatre. She has alternated between working as a costume designer and a scenographer, and in recent years has been involved in puppetry. Lecturer in Scenography at the Academy of Fine Arts since 1989.

SCENOGRAPHY FIRST YEAR – THREE-YEAR COURSE 12cfa

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
What is scenography? By definition, scenography is everything the eye sees within the performance space; therefore, costumes can also be considered part of the scenography. It is the creation of a “place” that does not exist in reality: the “ideal” place to visually interpret what is being represented. An illusory place that lives and dies during the performance and exists only for the performance. And when the lights go out… it no longer exists.
Scenography is therefore space that becomes a place: empty or full, closed or open, real and illusory, dark, illuminated, rational, wild. It is the space of the apparition. It is the space in which a performance comes to life and ends, whether that space is a theatre, a square, a simple stage or a warehouse. The aim of the course is to enable students to acquire graphic/technical skills – through the essential analysis of the text and historical/iconographic research – and a methodology that is valid in every field of scenography.
From the 2024–2025 academic year, starting in the first year, the course will be divided into two streams: one specifically dedicated to SCENOGRAPHY and the other to COSTUME DESIGN. At the start of the academic year, students enrolled on this course will be able to choose which pathway to follow.

• The Scenography pathway involves the acquisition of theoretical and practical/technical knowledge mainly for the design of theatrical scenography in the broadest sense of the term through workshops, theoretical lectures, seminars, work placements, screenings, visits to theatres and scenography workshops.
• The Costume Design pathway, called the Costume Design Workshop, will use the same means of research, design, work placements and visits to workshops for costumes, fabrics, footwear, weapons, make-up and wigs, but to train cinematographic and theatrical costume designers.

SCENOGRAPHY pathway PROGRAMME:
The Scenography pathway involves approaching Scenography through various exercises that lead to an understanding of space, atmospheres – light and shadow – together with the techniques for creating it.&#10
The programme consists of a series of short exercises designed to familiarise participants with the application of colour, the characteristics of the stage space, theatrical perspective, perspective rendering and the development of stage props. These will be followed by further short workshops aimed at applying the skills acquired to the “performance space”.
In the second semester, students will design a scenography based on a theatrical text, starting with an analysis of the text and then moving on to the design of scenes and costumes and the creation of the scale model.
The text proposed this year is  THE PERSIANS by Aeschylus.
It is compulsory to study the scenography handouts recommended by the teacher: SCENOGRAPHY handout.

COSTUME DESIGN WORKSHOP pathway

PROGRAMME:
The Costume Design pathway involves approaching Costume through various exercises that lead to an understanding of anatomy, knowledge of fabrics, cutting and sewing, characteristics of costume according to the character, specifics of theatrical and film costume – together with the techniques for creating it. The first year will focus on the period from 1400 to 1600. The first-year exercises will therefore cover: Humanism, Renaissance, Baroque, with reference to films and theatrical texts set in these periods. Participation in two specific workshops led by professional costume designers will be compulsory.

Images and videos will be uploaded to the course Teams.
During the year, the contents of the lectures will be distributed in digital format on request.

FINAL ASSESSMENT METHOD:
The exams for progression to the first, second and third years require the submission of a complete portfolio, in accordance with the procedures outlined during the academic year, and an assessment of the theoretical knowledge acquired through lectures, seminars, field trips and interdisciplinary reports. The portfolio must be submitted in the week before the end of the term – whether you intend to sit the exam in the summer session or the autumn session. An unannounced test, which counts as a pre-exam, is scheduled to take place before the end of the term.

SCENOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• LORI Renato, Il lavoro dello scenografo, Roma, Gremese P.B.A., 2000
• LORI Renato, Manuale di scenografia e scenotecnica per il teatro, Roma, Gremese, 2007
• CERULLO Gilda, Cambi di Scena, Roma, Dino Audino editore, 2018
• COPPELLI Gino, Manuale Pratico di Scenotecnica: le Macchine Teatrali, Bologna, Patron Editore, 2006
• ALDINIO Susanna, VOGHERA Massimo, Fare Scenografia, Milan, Ed. Hoepli, 2024

COSTUME DESIGN BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• LEVI PISETZKY Rosita, Storia del Costume in Italia, vol. I-II-III-IV, Roma, I.E.I. Treccani, 1964
• ANDERSON Barbara & Cletus, Costume Design, New Yor, CBS College Publishing, 1984
• GIORGETTI Cristina, Manuale di Storia del Costume e della Moda, Florence, Cantini Ed., 2007
• NADOOLMAN LANDIS Deborah, Hollywood Sketchbook: A Century of Costume Illustration, ‎Collins Design; 1° ed. 2012
• ARNOLD Janet, Patterns of Fashion, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Drama Pub, 1985

SCENOGRAPHY SECOND YEAR – THREE-YEAR COURSE 12cfa

PROGRAMME:
For each assignment, the student must submit:

• Reading and analysis of the text.
• Composition of a Dramatic Outline (draft).
• Creation of a Work Plan.
• Documentation and iconographic research
• Preparatory sketches of scenes and costumes
• Plan(s), sections (1:50-1:100 as agreed), development of pieces (1:20, 1:25), of Theme 2
• Table with all the costumes in 1:10 scale
• Scenography sketch(es) – Scenography specifications
• Costume sketches, scale 1:5 – Costume specifications &
• Model in 1:20 or 1:25 scale

Review sessions will be scheduled in advance, and attendance is compulsory regardless of whether students have material to present or not.

Theme 1: a choice between THE ACCOMPLICE by Friedrich Dürrenmatt (prose) and THE GLASS MENAGERIE by Tennessee Williams.
Theme 2: SPARACUS music by Aram Khachaturian (ballet).

Images and videos will be uploaded to the course Teams.

[Topics 2024–2025: The Two-Headed Eagle, The Firebird]

FINAL ASSESSMENT METHOD:
The exams for progression to the first, second and third years require the submission of a complete portfolio, in accordance with the procedures outlined during the academic year, and an assessment of the theoretical knowledge acquired through lectures, seminars, field trips and interdisciplinary reports. The portfolio must be submitted in the week before the end of the term – whether you intend to sit the exam in the summer session or the autumn session. An unannounced test, which counts as a pre-exam, is scheduled to take place before the end of the term.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• LORI Renato, Il lavoro dello scenografo, Roma, Gremese P.B.A., 2000
• LORI Renato, Manuale di scenografia e scenotecnica per il teatro, Roma, Gremese, 2007
• CERULLO Gilda, Cambi di Scena, Roma, Dino Audino editore, 2018
• COPPELLI Gino, Manuale Pratico di Scenotecnica: le Macchine Teatrali, Bologna, Patron Editore, 2006
• ALDINIO Susanna, VOGHERA Massimo, Fare Scenografia, Milan, Ed. Hoepli, 2024

SCENOGRAPHY THIRD YEAR – THREE-YEAR COURSE 12cfa

PROGRAMME:
For each assignment, the student must submit:

• Reading and analysis of the text.
• Composition of a Dramatic Outline (draft).
• Creation of a Work Plan.
• Documentation and iconographic research
• Preparatory sketches of scenes and costumes
• Plan(s), sections (1:50-1:100 as agreed), development of pieces (1:20, 1:25), specifications
• Table with all the costumes in 1:10 scale
• Scenography sketch(es) – Scenography specifications
• Costume sketches, scale 1:5 – Costume specifications &
• Model in 1:20 or 1:25 scale
• Theatre programme

Topic 1: TOSCA – music by G. Puccini (opera)
Topic 2: RAPUNZEL the musical – music by A. Menken (musical)

[Topics 2022–2023: Il Trovatore, Cyrano de Bergerac]

Images and videos will be uploaded to the course team

FINAL ASSESSMENT METHOD:
The exams for progression to the first, second and third years require the submission of a complete portfolio, in accordance with the procedures outlined during the academic year, and an assessment of the theoretical knowledge acquired through lectures, seminars, field trips and interdisciplinary reports. The portfolio must be submitted in the week before the end of the term – whether you intend to sit the exam in the summer session or the autumn session. An unannounced test, which counts as a pre-exam, is scheduled to take place before the end of the term.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• ALDINIO Susanna, VOGHERA Massimo, Fare Scenografia, Milan, Ed. Hoepli, 2024
• LORI Renato, Il lavoro dello scenografo, Roma, Gremese P.B.A., 2000
• LORI Renato, Manuale di scenografia e scenotecnica per il teatro, Roma, Gremese, 2007
• CERULLO Gilda, Cambi di Scena, Roma, Dino Audino editore, 2018
• COPPELLI Gino, Manuale Pratico di Scenotecnica: le Macchine Teatrali, Bologna, Patron Editore, 2006
• ALDINIO Susanna, VOGHERA Massimo, Fare Scenografia, Milan, Ed. Hoepli, 2024

SCENOGRAPHY SECOND YEAR – TWO-YEAR COURSE 12cfa

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Just because you can create a good sketch doesn’t mean you’re a scenographer. Being a scenographer requires more than that. Luciano Damiani said that building a scene means putting oneself at the service of a poetic or musical text. The stage is not an environment to be decorated but a space to be organised in which “the relationship between human figure and object requires special care because it must be part of a precise harmony”. To be skilled in scenography means knowing how to design, construct, paint or leave unpainted, move and light a space in accordance with a text.
Understanding the materials and techniques required to achieve this. Knowing, for example, that “that stage element”, which is very aesthetically pleasing in a two-dimensional sketch, is difficult to illuminate or can create problems of visibility for the audience and of movement for the actors. In short, the scenographer is a person who, yes, draws and designs, but does so with an understanding of the result in real space, in relation to the actors, the lighting and the scene changes. What is often missing at the Academy is the practical application of what is designed and painted. The aim of the two-year specialist course is to provide in-depth study that enables students to acquire the necessary technical and practical artistic skills in the fields of set design, stage production and costume design for the performing arts. For this reason, in collaboration with the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, six-month work placements are arranged at the workshops in Via dei Cerchi.

FINAL ASSESSMENT METHOD:
The second-year exams require the submission of a complete portfolio, in accordance with the procedures outlined during the academic year.

WORK PLACEMENT:
In the academic year 2024–2025, a work placement in applied scenography is planned at the workshops of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma.

PROGRAMME:
For each assignment, the student must submit:

• Documentation and iconographic research
• Composition of a Dramatic Outline.
• Creation of a Work Plan.
• Documentation and iconographic research
• Preparatory sketches of scenes and costumes
• Plan(s), sections (1:50-1:100 as agreed), development of pieces (1:20, 1:25), specifications
• Table with all the costumes in 1:10 scale
• Scenography sketch(es) – Scenography specifications
• Costume sketches, scale 1:5 – Costume specifications &
• Model in scale to be agreed
• Theatre programme with poster on the cover

Review sessions will be scheduled in advance, and attendance is compulsory regardless of whether students have material to present or not.

1 Theme: a musical of your choice from:
CHICAGO – libretto by F. Webb and B. Fosse and music by J. Kander
DEAR EVAN HANSEN – libretto by S. Levenson, lyrics and music by Pasek & Paul
JEKYLL AND HYDE THE MUSICAL – music by Frank Wildhorn (musical)
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR – libretto by T. Rice and music by A. L. Webber
SOMETHING ROTTEN – music and lyrics by W. Kirkpatrick & K. Kirkpatrick
WICKED – libretto by W. Holzmann and music and lyrics by S. Schwartz

PUPPET THEATRE – six-month course – 6cfa

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
The aim of the course is twofold: on the one hand, to learn about the expressive techniques of Puppet Theatre, and on the other, to create projects for a show that can be performed in the theatre or filmed in video format.
Puppet Theatre has finally been freed from the preconception that relegated it to the role of “children’s theatre”. While, on the one hand, it keeps traditions alive through the ancient families of puppeteers and marionettists, on the other, it is evolving, being reborn in new forms of manipulation determined by the technical advances of the media.
In fact, it has always had the ability to be revived even after long periods of neglect, demonstrating a remarkable capacity for renewal whilst, at the same time, retaining a dramatic and linguistic structure that remains more or less identical not only over time but also, so to speak, “in space”, i.e. a grammatical syntax common throughout Europe, regardless of period and place.
But beyond the dramatic structure, it is the technical aspect of Puppet Theatre that plays a fundamental role, determining not only the aesthetics of the performance but also its dramatic structure and, above all, its construction. We can categorise these techniques into three main groups based on the type of manipulation: from below, from above and from behind.
The course aims not only to produce finished pieces, but also to foster a connection between the puppets created and their makers, so that the latter are able to manipulate them with coordinated, fluid movements that lend them expressiveness and transform the puppets into fully-fledged characters. The materials and techniques for creation and movement will be explained. The exchange with the Teatro Verde di Roma and its artists will be important: an organisation in the capital that has been producing shows in the field of Puppet Theatre for 40 years.

COURSE ORGANISATION:
The course will last six months and will be divided into lectures and workshops to be held in the classroom.

FINAL ASSESSMENT METHOD:
The exam consists of the discussion and presentation of the work carried out, as well as an assessment of the theoretical knowledge acquired through lectures. Students must also bring the technical specifications and a short video showing their puppet or marionette in motion, as well as a presentation (either printed or in PowerPoint) detailing the construction process.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• ALLEGRI L. e BAMBOZZI M. [a cura di], Il Mondo delle Figure, Rome, Carocci Ed., 2012
• BAIRD Bil, Le Marionette, storia di uno spettacolo, Milan, Mondadori, 1967
• CASTELLINO F., FERRARI I., Baracca e Burattini, Turin, SEI, 1936
• BELL John (a cura di), Puppets, Mask and Performing Objects, TDR Book, 2001
• BATEK Oskar, Il Teatro delle Marionette, Milan, Ottaviano Editore, 1981

PROGRAMME FOR THE 2025-2026 ACADEMIC YEAR:
The programme will be differentiated according to the aims of the pathway and/or possibly also with interdisciplinary collaborations.
In both cases, the programme will focus on:

• Historical-theoretical lectures on Puppet Theatre that analyse:
  1. The history
  2. The techniques
  3. The languages
  4. The dramaturgy
• Theoretical lessons on the various methods of making marionettes and puppets: from the model to the realisation
  1. Creation workshop
  2. Performance organisation

The collaboration with the Teatro Verde will continue this year, a collaboration that includes lectures, visits to the theatre and participation in workshops for the production of Puppet Theatre shows.
In addition, if there is a sufficient number of participants, marionettes and/or puppets may be made for the purpose of producing a show.