Propaganda, Pedagogy, and Cultural Authority: The Fascist theatre in Italy and Abroad

This essay describes the propagandistic and pedagogic uses of the theatre by Benito Mussolini's fascist regime in Italy, 1922–1945. Working with the premise that the theatre was an instrument used to create prestige for Italy and for the dictator himself, and in the service of the broader ambition to impose hegemony in Europe in cooperation with Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime, the author addresses both internal and external affairs. Through a discussion of dramatic repertoire and theatrical institutions, the essay describes the fascist regime’s domestic management of the theatrical arts and the exploitation of their pedagogic potential and then, focusing on the production history of Campo di Maggio, a play co-authored by Giovacchino Forzano and Mussolini himself, turns to the propagandistic dissemination of Italian drama abroad, especially in the territories of the Third Reich.