Il «trionfo di Manto»: festa e teatro nell'età di Vincenzo I

This essay traces a profile of festivals and theatre in Mantua during the Vincenzo I Gonzaga Age, characterized by frequent performances. Vincenzo I was in fact deeply interested in stage arts as a strategy to consolidate the image of his dynasty among European courts. So, the Mantuan court became the meeting place of many comedians and the stable base of a comici dell’Arte company. Also the Mantuan Jews community prepared performances for the court for some time. Moreover Vincenzo I introduced opera with the help of an excellent composer as Claudio Monteverdi. In addition to theatre, also innovative celebrations were organized, with peculiar stagecraft and fireworks. At the end of Vincenzo I dukedom, the new ruler of Mantua turned his attention mostly to opera and ballet.