In the eighteenth century, the importance of an actor’s sensibility in acting was a topic of debate in Europe, mainly in France and England. The Italian actors Luigi Riccoboni and his son Francesco have been generally thought to hold completely contrary theories about actors’ sensibilities. Luigi was a proponent of emotionalism, believing that actors should act out the emotions they actually feel on behalf of the characters. In contrast, Francesco was a proponent of anti-emotionalism, believing that actors should control and imitate the emotions of the characters. At first glance, their theories on acting seem contradictory, but when we examine the differences in their motives and the aims of their writings more closely, we will find that they are not.
In his
Dell’arte rappresentativa (1728) and in
Pensées sur la déclamation (1738), Luigi insists that there is no formal method or technique for acting and emphasizes the importance of the actors’ natural sensibility. On the other hand, Francesco, in his
L’art du thé?tre (1750), states that there is a method for acting by which, through diligent study and practice, actors come to express the emotions of the characters without actually feeling them.
There is, however, a paradox in Luigi’s theory. In his books, he admits that actors are “imitating” while acting and that this is the essential technique in acting. He recognizes the duality of the actor and the character. As an actor himself, Luigi may have experienced this duality. However, because emotionalism was popular in those days, in order to protect his reputation as a theater critic, Luigi may have simply agreed with the popular idea. In contrast, Francesco was more at liberty because he published his book as merely the opinion of an individual actor.
Existing research has not previously mentioned that their books were aimed at different readers. Luigi’s
Dell’arte rappresentativa was written for professional actors, whereas Francesco’s was for beginners in acting. Luigi focuses on the actor’s attitude and state of mind, so his books are essentially manuals on the mental theory of acting. Francesco’s book, by way of contrast, provides practical instructions for the actor’s movements and gestures. Thus, these books are written from different points of view by two actors with different backgrounds and with different readers in mind. Their theories on acting need not be regarded as contradictory. Their books should be read as complementary texts — one emphasizing a mental theory, the other a practical theory.
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