The Intertextual Short Play

The brevity of the short play allows presenting multiple works during the same evening, and intertextuality can materialize right in front of the audience. This article uses Verga's Rustic Chivalry and Capuana's The Little Archive to explore the tension between tremendous success and almost complete invisibility in theatrical verismo. Rather than accepting the shortcomings of verist theories, later adaptations, or past context as definitive closure, the author proposes ideas for future productions to employ the richness of available materials for a contextualized performance.