Behind the Scenes: Il giuoco delle parti

This brief article reports on the results of an experiment in theatrical adaptation conducted by myself in cooperation with two colleagues, in which we cut Pirandello's long play 'Il giuoco delle parti' down to a half-hour performance time, with the aim of highlighting the various dynamics of violence and power involved in the relationship between the three main characters. The objective was achieved by adopting as a guideline the short story 'Quando si è capito il giuoco', which contained Pirandello's original idea for the play. In the execution, the minimalist development of the short story and the powerful character development in the play enhanced each other, successfully bringing out the layers of violence in which Pirandello's dark vision of human relationships is embedded.