Giorgio Strehler

The Piccolo Teatro of Milan opened on 17 May 1947 in the auditorium of the Broletto Cinema, staging Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths. Founded by Giorgio Strehler and Paolo Grassi, this institution became the cornerstone of a career that saw Strehler bridge the roles of actor, theatre manager, opera director, and politician across Italy and Europe.

Early Development and War Exile

Born in 1921 in Barcola, Strehler moved to Milan at age seven following the death of his grandfather. Initially skeptical of theatre's emotional capacity compared to cinema, he changed his perspective after viewing a performance of Carlo Goldoni’s work at the Odeon Theatre. He subsequently enrolled at the Accademia dei Filodrammatici. During the war years, he went into exile in Switzerland, where he directed the premiere of Albert Camus’s Caligula with the Compagnie des Masques in Geneva.

THE FREE TEST

How high is yours?

Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.

Take the IQ test →

Defining the Role of Director

Strehler effectively pioneered the role of the professional theatre director in Italy. Prior to his work, stage productions were largely managed by traveling companies that operated without a central directorial authority. His methodology emphasized culturally relevant performances that demanded active engagement from audiences rather than passive observation. He maintained long-term collaborations with stage designers such as Luciano Damiani and Ezio Frigerio to define the visual language of his work, which spanned plays by William Shakespeare, Bertolt Brecht, Luigi Pirandello, and Anton Chekhov.

Opera and Institutional Leadership

In addition to his theatre repertoire, Strehler was a prominent opera director, debuting at La Scala in 1947 with Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata. His operatic portfolio included works by Mozart, Beethoven, Stravinsky, and Kurt Weill, performed in cities including Milan, Venice, and Salzburg. His commitment to European artistic integration led to his appointment as director of the Union of the Theatres of Europe in Paris in 1985.

Political and Public Service

Strehler’s career intersected with national politics throughout his later life. He served as a Member of the European Parliament representing North-West Italy from 1983 to 1984 as a member of the Italian Socialist Party. He later represented Lombardy in the Italian Senate from 1987 to 1992 as a member of the Independent Left. His contributions were recognized through various honors, including the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic and the Goethe Medal.