“Theatre keeps craft alive”

The long-evolved tradition of craftsmanship in set-building is still alive. But it is threatened by economic crisis, as more and more theatres are forced to cut corners and economize. The Milan firm Allestimenti Arianese has been building sets for almost 60 years and is increasingly delivering across Europe. As the Italian firm continues to prosper, it hopes to keep the craft alive. BTR talked to Gunter Thurner, a representative of the firm, about current and historical developments.

We arrange to meet in Berlin, where Gunter Thurner, a native Austrian representing Allestimenti Arianese, has been invited to appear for an interview for a major project. A graduate of stage design, he talked to BTR about the set-building firm’s past and present. Below is an excerpt of the interview:

How was Allestimenti Arianese founded?
Antonio Arianese opened a small carpentry firm in Milan in 1961. He was a furniture-maker but very soon started helping out with carpentry work for the Scala di Milano. These commissions have continued to grow to this day, so that we now partially or entirely build the sets for five or six La Scala productions per year. Antonio Arianese died prematurely; he was only 56. His sons Francesco and Martino were 22 and 24 at the time and decided to carry on their father’s work. One of them, Francesco, is the financial director, and Martino is the technical director. They have run the firm since the 1980s.

How did the firm evolve from making furniture to building sets?
Antonio Arianese had always been passionate about theatre. The period from the ʼ70s to well into the ʼ90s was a golden age of Italian stage designers. Mauro Pagano, Ezio Frigerio, Pier Luigi Pizzi, and Franco Zeffirelli became big stars, working all over the world. In those days, some stage designers could still afford to choose who built their sets, and had high-quality sets built by Arianese. By working with these stars, Arianese earned himself a good reputation.

Can you still prosper despite the difficult economic situation in Italy and the crisis in culture in general?
Yes. We are active in four fields: theatre, fashion, museums and trade fair decorations. Our firm is located right next to the trade fair grounds in Milan, where EXPO 2015 was held. But lots of companies have started to economize on trade fair decorations, so commissions in that field have dropped for us, too, but we still make a lot of theatre sets. We combine tradition and innovation; that is our recipe for success. Our mainstay in these difficult economic times, though, is the fashion industry. We work permanently for five major fashion houses which put on four fashion shows per year, and we build for them all. Museums are also regular customers of ours, such as Museum Ferragamo in Florence, Versailles Museum in Paris and the Charlie Chaplin Museum in Coursier-sur-Vevey on Lake Geneva.

Is it pure nostalgia to continue building sets this way?
No, it all goes together. Theatre is at the heart of our business. With our highly competent team and state-of-the-art machine park, we can offer a top-quality, tailor-made service, which major theatres from Madrid to Berlin appreciate and take advantage of. And we love working with theatre!