Theatre and Soft Power in Fascist Italy. A Place for Opera in the International Arena

This chapter offers a preliminary contribution to the understanding of the relationship between opera and foreign policy in Italy during the fascist regime (1922–1943). In this period, cultural diplomacy (i.e., the area of international affairs delegated by governments to agencies and cultural institutions)1 became a promising field of political and ideological intervention for the state, providing a convincing example of what, in the aftermath of the Cold War, would be framed as ‘soft power’. During Mussolini’s regime, in fact, various genres like opera, spoken theatre, operetta, revue and other theatrical forms became part of a cultural ecosystem that extended beyond national borders, and were used by the fascist state to exert influence through soft- power strategies. These strategies varied greatly according to the different sociocultural contexts in which they took place: in some countries – such as Argentina, Germany or Brazil – opera was sustained to convey the idea of italianità and enhance bilateral relations, while in the colonies of East Africa, opera was replaced by more affordable and popular genres to please colonial audiences. In other areas – such as Libya, an Italian colony since 1911 – opera responded to a different agenda: it was produced for both its prestige and to meet the demands of international tourists.