Caterina Bresciani, l’Ircana famosa

Abstract

While writing for the Venetian stage, Carlo Goldoni adhered to the requirements of the commedia dell’arte theatre, and thanks to his successful cooperation with actors, he gradually introduced changes to the ossified convention. The comedian-playwright wrote many of his texts for particular performers, using their personal qualities, stage experience, interpersonal relations within the team, and even biographies. Caterina Bresciani is an actress with whom Goldoni worked for as many as 10 theatre seasons, from 1753 to 1762, yet Goldoni does not mention much about her in his memoirs. To her, he owes his greatest stage success in Venice, La sposa persiana (1753), and two subsequent episodes of the story of the wild slave of Ircana. The aim of this article is to analyse the new typology of a female role, created for her first female performer, as well as to examine the performative traces hidden in the texts that will allow us to recreate the Bresciani style of acting.