Research Question

The most recent studies on Scaldati have focused primarily on the archival collection held at the ‘Fondazione Cini’, which served as the basis for the publication of his collected works by Marsilio Editore. However, the transfer of the archive from Palermo to Venice has created a symbolic and cultural rift – which remains unhealed – between the author’s work and the city where he was active. Therefore, this research proposes to speak not of a single Scaldati archive, but of ‘Franco Scaldati’s archives’, including materials preserved by the author’s collaborators (texts, photographs, documents, and testimonies, etc.) as an integral part of a widespread and still-active heritage. The subtitle of the research also highlights the need to examine the preservation of intangible elements, such as the author’s language, the performances during and after his lifetime, and finally the memories of his collaborators. The archive is not conceived exclusively as a space for preservation, but as a network of living memories, rooted in the experiences of those who shared an artistic journey with the author. From this perspective, the research proposes an approach based on the concept of repertoire, understood in the sense proposed by performance studies, but also in its etymological meaning: to find materials, memories, and traces to be reactivated and transmitted.

Methodology for achieving the objectives

The research adopts a primarily qualitative methodology. The first phase of the project involves identifying collaborators and witnesses to Scaldati’s work, along with an inventory of the materials in their possession. Subsequently, structured interviews will investigate the creative processes and the posthumous transmission of Scaldati’s work. In this phase, ethnographic work will play a central role, through the collection of testimonies, memories, and transmission practices still active within the artistic and relational community linked to Scaldati (performances, meetings). The collected materials will subsequently be analysed through the lens of performance studies, drawing on Taylor and Schneider’s reflections on the concepts of archive and repertoire. The research also includes opportunities for dissemination through articles, meetings, and initiatives dedicated to Scaldati’s work, with the aim of fostering accessibility and the transmission of Scaldati’s legacy.

Case Studies

Particular attention will be focused on the period of Scaldati’s intense activity at the ‘San Saverio’ Social Centre in Palermo’s Albergheria neighbourhood, which is considered a pivotal moment in the work of this Palermo-based author.

Data Analysis and Interpretation of Results

The collected data will be analysed to study the processes of transmission and reactivation of the memory of Franco Scaldati’s work, by correlating documentary and oral sources. The interpretation, based on Taylor and Schneider’s categories of archive and repertoire, will interpret the corpus as a living mechanism for the preservation and reactivation of Scaldati’s theatrical heritage.