Miriam Petrini | Sapienza Università di Roma | Italy
miriam.petrini@uniroma1.it
September 16th 2022 | 15.00 – 16.30
Panel #10 | “Mediatizations”
Room G.126 | Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Milan, Largo Gemelli 1
The potential and the use of the radio medium in the construction of a dystopian imaginary
Voices that leave no room for images but only for imagination, have led radio-dramaturgy to be an effective dystopian means all over the years. After a short introductory note to the The War of the Worlds by Orson Wells (1938), the most famous dystopian radiodrama ever made, my speech would propose some examples of radio dystopia in the Italian cultural panorama. I would start talking about the renewal of radiophonic techniques between the 40s and 60s and go on with a deeper analysis of two of Primo Levi’s radiodramas: Il versificatore (1960) and La bella addormentata nel frigo (1961). The two works deal with “human intelligence against machines” and the “eternal youth” themes: themes that were dystopian at the time but they are currently of very importance in these days of hashtags, algorithms and physical appearance obsession. I also would like to focus on Teatro Valle’s project called Scienza e fantascienza dal Valle realized in 2021 when Italian theaters were closed because of covid-19. Therefore, as they could not perform in theaters, they chose to produce radio-dramas, many of which had a dystopic settings during a nearly dystopian moment for the world.
Miriam Petrini is a PhD student of Sapienza University. Research: Federico Fellini at the EIAR (1940-1943). Graduated in Modern Philology at "La Sapienza" in Rome in 2020. Her PhD research deals with EIAR's radioplays and particularly Federico Fellini's radiodramas. Her research intent is to study radioplays produced by EIAR focusing on writers who would become the main authors of Italian Cinema in the 20th Century. Research products: Federico Fellini all’Eiar (1940-1943). Tra l’evoluzione del radioteatro e la nascita del «felliniano», L’avventura, Il Mulino, 2021. Creator of Storie di Cinema podcast.
