Il teatro della misericordia. Fondamenti teorici, snodi storici e azioni contemporanee per la costruzione del ‘corpo comunitario’

What does ‘theatre of mercy’ mean? Is it a dramatic form of Christian tradition? Is it a particular kind of literary or poetic text? Or is it a show that has to do with sorrow, compassion, mercy? This article aims to give an answer to these questions. The first part is a theorical analysis around the principles of the ‘revolution of the sight’ effected by Christianity: I will show that mercy is a posture, an attitude, closely connected to the concept of proximity. In the second part of this essay I will identify two historical turning points of that posture and its embodiment in some devotional practices known as ‘theatre of mercy’. I read them as particular forms of the anti-spectacular representations of the passion of Christ that were functional to develop social relationships of mutual support and care between human beings. Finally, in the third part, I explore the Corpus Hominis’ project, an example of contemporary ‘theatre of mercy’ which aims to build and represent the social body of the community on the basis of responsability and personal involvement.