Dionysus and the Youth Between Academia and the Polis: Rethinking the Intersections of Scholarship, Performance-Based Research, and Pedagogy

This essay examines how Italian Renaissance Humanism adopted drama as a pedagogical tool to prepare young people for the challenges of adult life. By reviewing four key centers – Rome, Florence, Venice, and Padua – it argues that a central feature of the humanist approach to theatre was the concept of ‘choral’ involvement from all participants. In its Dionysian spirit, the dramatic chorality revived by humanist school dramas, especially within universities and learned academies, fostered forms of engagement that integrated ethics, aesthetics, and educational entertainment. The essay concludes with a contemporary example demonstrating how the classical tradition, revitalised through the humanist revival of ancient drama, continues to provide effective models at the intersection of scholarship, performance, and pedagogy: namely, Marco Martinelli’s “non-school”. KEYWORDS: Humanist theatre; pedagogy; chorus; academies; universities