The place of theatre at ETSAB. Mapping

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to present – like the unfolding of an atlas’s maps – a set of studies carried out at Barcelona School of Architecture (ETSAB) that examine the relationship between the performing arts and architecture. At the start of the twentieth century, some notes by Lluís Domènech i Montaner provide evidence of a Composición de Edificios (Composition of Buildings) lesson on theatres. However, it was not until the academic year of 1978–1979 that Ignasi de Solà-Morales dedicated a substantial part of the programme of the subject Composición III (Composition III) to “theatre architecture”.
In the paper, research and knowledge transfer to society merge. In reference to teaching, the approach to the subject is described, from Composición III (Composition III) to Introducción a la Escenografía (Introduction to Scenography); from typological study to the set design workshop. In the field of research, a map is drawn up of doctoral theses and competitive projects related to the performing arts. The mapping constructed in this way will reveal a certain analytical method that, like a zoom lens, after an initial frame focused on the urban role of theatres in the city, considers the architecture of theatres and finalises by examining the stage space.