with Gian Carlo Dettori
by Claudio Beccari

The working method of the great theatre director seen from the viewpoint of an actor who worked with him for a long time and who tells it through his memories : in our long and fun conversations, Gian Carlo Dettori recalled all his experience with Giorgio Strehler, from the exciting audition in 1957 unntil the last show, The giants of the mountain; forty years that have marked the history of the Italian theatre and culture of the 20th century.
I tried to choose the most significant moments of this very rich narration to depict Strehler’s work and I put them together with passages from the writings of the director, to discover the theoretical intentions from which the directing work originated.
A work, as Gian Carlo tells us, that was not trying to impose a preconceived scheme, but offered actors a lot of stimuli, indications and suggestions that allowed them to express themselves freely, enhancing their sensitivity.
Thanks to Gian Carlo’s memories we can understand how the creative participation of the actor was one of Strehler’s secrets: when he talks about Arlecchino or Campiello, Coriolano or The Threepenny Opera, Gian Carlo does not seem to be just one of the interpreters of a great concert, but one of those who contributed to writing the score.

Claudio Beccari

[photo: Lorenzo Ceva Valla]