Six Characters in Search of an Author

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Six Characters in Search of an Author
Written by Luigi Pirandello
Characters Director
Actors
Stage technians
Father
Mother
Stepdaughter
Son
Boy
Child
Date premiered 1921 (1921)
Place premiered Teatro Valle, Rome
Original language Italian
Genre Absurdism, Metatheatre
Setting A theatre

Six Characters in Search of an Author (Italian: Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore) is a 1921 Italian play by Luigi Pirandello, first performed in that same year. An absurdist metatheatrical play about the relationship between authors, their characters, and theatre practitioners, it premiered at the Teatro Valle in Rome to a mixed reception, with shouts from the audience of "Manicomio!" ("Madhouse!"), though the reception improved at subsequent performances — helped when Pirandello provided for the play's third edition, published in 1925, a foreword clarifying its structure and ideas.

The play had its American premiere in 1922 on Broadway at the Princess Theatre, and was performed for over a year off-Broadway at the Martinique Theatre beginning in 1963.

Contents

Plot [edit]

An acting company prepares to rehearse the play The Rules of the Game by Luigi Pirandello. As the rehearsal is about to begin the play is unexpectedly interrupted by the arrival of six strange people. The Director of the play, furious at the interruption, demands an explanation. The Father explains that they are unfinished characters in search of an author to finish their story. The Director initially believes them to be mad, but as they begin to argue amongst themselves and reveal details of their story he begins to listen. While he isn't an author, the Director agrees to stage their story despite the disbelief amongst the jeering actors.

After a 20 minute break the Characters and the Company return to the stage to act out some of the story so far. They begin to act out the scene between the Stepdaughter and the Father in Madame Pace's shop, which the Director decides to call Scene I. The Characters are very particular about the setting, wanting everything to be as realistic as possible. The Director asks the Actors to observe the scene for he intends for them to act it out later. This sparks the first argument between the Director and the Characters over the acting of the play, with the Characters assuming that they would be acting it out seeing as they are the Characters already. The Director moves the play on anyway, but the Stepdaughter has more problems with the accuracy of the setting, saying she doesn't recognize the scene. Just as the Director is about to begin the scene once more he realizes that Madame Pace is not with them. The Actors watch in disbelief as The Father lures her to the stage by hanging their coats and hats on racks, "attracted by the very articles of her trade".

The scene begins between Madame Pace and the Stepdaughter, with Madame Pace exhorting The Step-Daughter, telling her she must work harder herself to save the Mother's job. The Mother protests at having to watch the scene, but she is restrained. After the Father and Stepdaughter act half of the scene the Director stops them so that the Actors may act out what they have just done. The Characters break into laughter as the Actors try to imitate them. They continue but The Step-Daughter cannot contain her laughter as the Actors use the wrong tones of voice and gestures. The Father begins another argument with the Director over the realism of the Actors compared to the Characters themselves. The Director allows the Characters to act out the rest of the scene and have the rehearsals later.

This time the Stepdaughter explains the rest of the scene during an argument with the Director over the truth on stage. The scene culminates in an embrace between the Father and the Stepdaughter which is realistically broken up by the distressed Mother. The line between reality and acting is blurred as the scene closes with the Director pleased with the first act.

The final act of the play begins in the garden. It was revealed that there was much arguing amongst the family members as The Father sent for The Mother, The Stepdaughter, The Child, The Boy, and The Son to come back and stay with him. The Son reveals that he hates the family for sending him away and does not consider The Stepdaughter or the others a part of his family. The scene ends with The Little Girl drowning in a fountain, The Boy committing suicide with a revolver and the Stepdaughter running out of the theater with The Son, The Mother, and The Father left on stage. The final lines end with The Director confused over whether it was real or not, concluding that whether it was real or not he lost a whole day over it.

Productions [edit]

Première [edit]

The play was staged in 1921 by the Compagnia di Dario Niccomedi at the Valle di Roma to mixed results. The public split up into supporters and adversaries. The author, who was present at the presentation with his daughter Lietta, was forced to leave the theatre through a side exit in order to avoid the crowd of opponents. However, the play was a great success when presented in Milan.

Broadway and off-Broadway productions [edit]

Adaptations [edit]

In popular culture [edit]

See also [edit]

References [edit]

Notes
  1. ^ "Six Characters in Search of an Author" (1922) on IBDB.com
  2. ^ "Six Characters in Search of an Author" (1924) on IBDB.com
  3. ^ "Six Characters in Search of an Author" (1931) on IBDB.com
  4. ^ a b "Six Characters is Search of an Author" (1955) on IBDB.com
  5. ^ "Six Characters in Search of an Author" (1963) on the Internet Off-Broadway Database
  6. ^ Six Characters in Search of an Author (1964) at the Internet Movie Database
  7. ^ Six Characters in Search of an Author (1976) at the Internet Movie Database
  8. ^ Six Characters in Search of an Author (1994) at the Internet Movie Database
  9. ^ "David Gordon" on the Joyce Soho website
  10. ^ Eight Characters in Search of a Sitcom at the Internet Movie Database
 This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2012)

External links [edit]
Plays
Luigi Pirandello 1934.jpg
Novels
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