Le esperienze sinestetiche del teatro del colore sulle scene italiane tra simbolismo e futurismo, con qualche ipotesi per l’episodio Ombre dei Balli plastici di Fortunato Depero

The idea to replace actors with abstract coloured shapes to be moved along the stage to express different atmospheres and states of mind became fashionable in Italian theatres at the beginning of 20th century and was practised by several artists. This article examines the chief protagonists of the so-called Colour Theatre, from Gustavo Macchi and Achille Ricciardi to Futurist artists such as Enrico Prampolini, Giacomo Balla and Fortunato Depero. Depero’s Balli plastici, performed in Rome in spring 1918, also included a highly problematic interlude of this kind, Ombre (Shades), which is thoroughly examined in the last part of the article