Doubling and Allegorical Dramaturgy in the Operas of Francesco Cavalli

In the 17th century, it was common for actors and opera singers to play more than one character in a show. But how did the performers execute these quick and wondrous transformations, gesturally and vocally? How did the spectators respond? And how and why did the dramatists use the doubling to generate allegorical meanings?

Though underresearched, doubling is integral to understanding the Early Modern practices of acting, singing, spectating, and playwriting, just as it is important for today’s practitioners, providing theatre and opera companies with a tool that allows them to produce the old stage works in ways that are both economical and that generate new dramaturgical possibilities.Taking the 27 surviving operas by Venetian composer Francesco Cavalli (1602–1676) as its case study, the project examines the practice of doubling systematically, from the perspective of an Early Modern understanding of allegory: the overall conceptual framework for engaging intellectually with works of art during the period – including stage performances.

In addition to the allegorical function of the practice, the project studies its artistic and practical functions as well.

Methodologically, it revolves around the reconstruction of the 27 original doubling plans for Cavalli´s operas, based on archival, circumstantial, and internal evidence, while the artistic purpose of doubling is examined by praxeological means.The project involves only one researcher and is scheduled to last 3-years.