The Carro di Tespi lirico was a travelling

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

theatrical company that was formerly supported by the Fascist regime. It was started in 1930 to bring

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

to the masses. Three companies of Carro di Tespi drammatico, started in 1929 for non-operatic stage works, also existed. The Carro di Tespi lirico brought opera to many Italian cities that did not have regular opera seasons, as well as some that did. It normally toured in July, August and September to about forty locations with two or three operas. Troupes occasionally would perform directly from the back of their traveling trucks or wagons. They also performed throughout Europe. The staging of

La Bohème ''La bohème'' (; ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '' quadri'', '' tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giusep ...

, on an open-air stage in front of the Villa Puccini in the summer of 1930 marked the inauguration of the modern Carro di Tespi. The company returned to

Torre del Lago Torre del Lago (Tower of the Lake) is a town of almost 11,000 inhabitants, a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Viareggio, in the province of Lucca, Tuscany, Italy, between the Lake of Massaciuccoli and the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Festival Puccini, ...

in 1931 with Madama Butterfly and

. During the remainder of the 1930s, only one season was presented, in 1937, featuring last century's arguably most famous Puccinian heroine,

Licia Albanese Licia Albanese (July 22, 1909 – August 15, 2014) was an Italian-born American operatic soprano. Noted especially for her portrayals of the lyric heroines of Verdi and Puccini, Albanese was a leading artist with the Metropolitan Opera from 1940 ...

. Many well known names in Italian theater and opera got there start in the Carro di Tespi. In modern-day Italy the ''Teatro Popolare Itinerante'' is a newer edition of this as is the annual Puccini Festival.

References

Magda Olivero Bio

Answers.com

Landofpuccini.com
Musical groups established in 1930 Italian opera companies {{Opera-company-stub

See also

References