L’Utopia della città in movimento. Luca Ronconi e La Biennale Teatro di Venezia (1974-1976)

The article addresses Luca Ronconi’s artistic direction of the Theatre and Music Section of the Venice Biennale, between 1974 and 1976. This period represented a formative experience that prepared him for his later work at the Laboratorio di Prato. The article focuses on Ronconi’s idea of space and the principle of movement, both of which deeply influenced his directorial approach, in relation to urban cultural policies, and the artistic creation of the play Utopia. The article considers the 1974 Biennale, remembered as “The Biennale for a Democratic and Anti-fascist Culture”, as well as the 1975 and 1976 editions, during which Ronconi invited Jerzy Grotowski, Peter Brook, Living Theatre, Ariane Mnouchkine, Meredith Monk, La MaMa Theatre, Odin Teatret, Robert Wilson, and Giuliano Scabia, among others. In particular, the 1975 edition subverted the traditional urban perceptions of Venice by deconstructing its mythologised and conventional imagery. Ronconi approached the city through a planimetric vision that incorporated the industrial area of Porto Marghera, Malcontenta, and Mira, conceived as part of a horizontal dynamic in which relationships are negotiated. Ronconi deliberately shifted towards the idea of “laboratory”, which undermined the notion of festival and proposed a new theatrical paradigm composed of public meetings, seminars, scientific sessions and improvisations which stimulated unprecedented forms of civic participation. The article frames these experiences through the notion of movement, are recurrent motif throughout the director’s artistic career.