Teatro Sabbioneta - its place in the history of theatre building

Usually the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza is considered to be the pinnacle of Italian Renaissance theatre, while the Teatro Farnese - with its proscenium arch - is described as its descendant, constituting the beginning of the new Baroque era. However, in the light of the evidence from Serlio, the accounts of temporary stages for court spectacles and Teatro Sabbioneta, this view is questionable.  

To be sure, Teatro Olimpico is the first permanent theatre of its time and it is unique in the way it symbolises the ties between the old Roman world and the Italian Renaissance. But it is this uniqueness that is also the reason that its value for the development of theatre building might have been overestimated. As a reconstruction of a Roman theatre and with its multiple vistas (allowing no one in the audience an all comprehensive view of the stage setting) it veers away from the mainstream of the Renaissance theatre tradition as embodied by Serlio and his followers. In this respect Teatro Sabbioneta is much more important. Not only is it a permanent theatre that was built only four years after the Teatro Olimpico, but with its single vista stage, the privileged position of Vespasiano Gonzaga and the emphasis on the longitudinal axis it clearly exploits the principle of the single point perspective coupled to the power of the sovereign - and this is exactly what the development of Renaissance court theatre had been all about. (cf. for example Carlson 1989, ..-..).

In its allusions to the ancient world the Teatro Sabbioneta is radically different from the Teatro Olimpico. The latter is thought of as a reconstruction of an outdoor theatre and has a frons sceneae. The former lacks this feature and although it has certain features that refer to the ancient Rome (collonade with statues, busts of emperors, trompe l'oeuil frescoes), it remains in essence a Renaissance theatre. In Vicenza the visitor finds himself in a Roman theatre with references to his own time; in Sabbioneta the spectator stands in a contemporary theatre with references to the ancient world.

As already mentioned, another important difference is the fact that in Sabbioneta the audience space is hierarchically structured. The loggia for the duke and his inner circle is strictly separated from the rest of the audience and it is from that viewpoint only that the one-point perspective setting on the stage can be fully appreciated.

All in all Sabbioneta is much closer to Serlio's designs for temporary theatres than the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, as becomes also clear when we compare Scamozzi's sketch with Serlio's designs. And Scamozzi himself shows his indebtedness to Serlio by putting the motto in the frontispiece of the fourth book of Architecture (Roma Quanta Fuit Ipsa Ruina Docet) on the lintel above the entrance door. 

So, if the Teatro Sabbioneta is the permanent embodiment of theatrical practice in the Renaissance courts it is probably more of a predecessor for the Farnese theatre than the Teatro Olimpico. When we look at the structural lay-out of the theatre -rectangular, with its elongated u-shaped seats away from the raised stage and embracing a flat floored orchestra/arena- this certainly seems to be the case. Also the fact that both are court theatres (although one is a rather small affair and the other extremely large) and employ one- point perspectives points in this direction. However, the issue is confused by the suggestive opinion of some scholars claiming that the proscenium arch of Teatro Farnese stems directly from the porta regia in the frons sceneae of the Teatro Olimpico - the latter supposedly having 'widened' into this feature. To me this is questionable. Not only because in Farnese the 'arch' resembles more a picture frame, but also because framing of stage settings in the Renaissance had been known before. Also in Sabbioneta there might have been a kind of frame - or at least a border at the top - separating the frescoes in the auditorium from the perspective street (probably with a painted sky above it!) on stage. Besides, the function of the proscenium opening in Farnese is radically different from the porta regia in Teatro Olimpico. Where the one is necessary to hide the elaborate machinery for the changeable scenery the other is the main aperture in the frons sceneae, used by actors to appear on the stage and -only as an afterthought- to give access to a perspective street that, by the way, does not provide a playing area. 

In conclusion one should say that the Teatro Sabbioneta really is the first permanent theatre of the new era. Although small in size and clearly dependable on the mainstream tradition of Italian Renaissance court theatre it incorporates in its spatial conception most of the essential features of the Teatro Farnese. As such it is the predecessor of the Baroque theatre with its horse shoe shaped auditorium and privileged position of the ruler who is the only spectator to have a perfect view of the perspective setting.