Il Silenzio dei comunisti. Genesi e messa in scena di una riflessione sulla fine della sinistra

Il Silenzio dei comunisti is a theatrical production first staged by Luca Ronconi in November 2006, inspired by a small book of the same title, published four years earlier. The book is a reflection, in the form of an epistolary dialogue, between three important figures of the Italian left in the second half of the twentieth century: Vittorio Foa, Miriam Mafai, and Alfredo Reichlin. In this article, both the book and its theatrical adaptation will be analyzed through the reception of the left-wing generalist press. As part of the contextual reconstruction, Ronconi’s production will then be examined, aiming to explore the effects of the transition from the written word – its form and content, addressing socio-economic and historical themes – into theatrical form. Furthermore, Ronconi’s production takes place four years after the publication of the book. In this way, the contents of the text and its staging will be analyzed as “facts” – as historical sources and representations of an era and its changes.