scsa
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SCSA
Study Centre Scenic Arts

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Festival of Scenic Arts (IFSart) organised by SCSA in Rome in 2010.

Photo in the background
Festival of Scenic Arts (IFSart) organised by SCSA in Rome in 2010.

Photo in the background
Festival of Scenic Arts (IFSart) organised by SCSA in Rome in 2010.

Who we are?
Who we are

The Study Centre for Scenic Arts (SCSA) is a publishing house and a cultural association with the aim of creating a pan-European open laboratory to promote the collective skills of scenographers and other design professionals, which will provide a platform for the spread of knowledge and creative drive through a constructive effort to strengthen the relationship between technology and professionals and emerging talent.

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Workshop organised by SCSA at the Rome Opera House in 2014

MISSION
MISSION

The SCSA’s mission is twofold to act as a hub and function as an “open stage” for a range of initiatives, publications of books, magazines and newspapers for the theatre industry and incentives that have vocational training as their prime objective; in addition to this we aim to to provide directors, scenic and costume designers with the opportunity to take technical refresher courses and workshops organised in association with expert practitioners and companies providing technologies for the entertainment industry.

What we do?
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PUBLICATIONS
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EVENTS
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TRAINING

We publish books and documents in digital and print form, using ordinary distribution and multimedia communication. We bring to light everything related to the performing arts with particular attention to the professional training of young students and graduates. We organize annually, in collaboration with theatrical institutions and professionals, events, festivals, exhibitions, conferences and stages.

ABOUT OUR STORY

Leading lights in film and contemporary theatre

Our beginnings MULTISALA INTERNATIONAL

Our first publishing experience was in 1998 when the opportunity arose to publish an architecture magazine.  At that time a conspicuous transformation of movie theatres had begun. In Europe, especially in Italy, a new form of architecture had just emerged that dealt with facilities designed for public entertainment.
Architects began to design new movie theatres, first by transforming existing cinemas into multiplexes, then by designing purpose-built multiplexes. It was a time of extensive modernization. In the wake of this unpredictable change, “Multisala International”, the first and I believe then the only magazine on cinema architecture, was born. Unique, as there were no similar products at that time, that is, books or magazines about buildings intended for the screening of films, except for a few sporadic articles published in the most authoritative magazines on architecture. Our editorial team began to receive projects not only of Italian architects engaged in new builds, such as Renzo Piano and Massimiliano Fuksas, but also projects from  around Europe from the most prestigious studios plus some American firms: the studio of Jon Jerde Partnership, to name just one.

THE SCENOGRAPHER is born

In 2002, we had the idea of including within the magazine not only architectural projects, but also articles that featured the creation and construction of the film set. This was a natural progression since we had formed relationships with both architects and scenic designers. Our first exclusive interview was with Oscar-winning production designer Ken Adam in London. Set design was becoming an increasingly compelling topic as multiplexes became a common feature in the urban landscape. Interest in new multiplex projects had begun to wane so we decided to create a new magazine that would showcase built sets.
We named it THE SCENOGRAPHER, precisely because it timed with the start of our collaboration and dialogue with the Art Directors Guild in Los Angeles, the American association of set designers. During this period, we published dozens of articles showcasing the skills of production designers in the U.S., essentially covering American film production design in the 2003-2010 timeframe.

We gathered all this fascinating material into a large historical collection taking the interview with the legendary production designer Ken Adam as our starting point. This was the pilot issue No. O, which marked the beginning of an exciting venture. This was followed by issues featuring interviews and articles with Michael Corenblith, Grant Major, Richard Sylbert, Guy Hendrix Dyas, Alex McDowell, Patrick Tatopoulos, Scott Chambliss, and Don Diers.
But the collection also reserved space for design for live performance, which later evolved into the predominant content of the issues we published from 2012 onward.(Paolo Felici Publisher)

 

SCSA STUDY CENTRE SCENIC ARTS

In 2008, THE SCENOGRAPHER team founded the Study Centre for Scenic Arts (SCSA), a platform for seminars and workshops held in Italy and Great Britain. Three international events in particular stand out, organised in Rome and in London between 2008 and 2010, at which theatre professionals and academics from all over Europe attended. In that same period collaborative projects took root with the British Film Designers Guild and the Society of British Theatre Designers Guild in the UK.

In Italy a number of preeminent theatre designers and directors were celebrated in features and monographic issues, among whom Pier Luigi Pizzi, Dante Ferretti,  Ezio Frigerio, Danilo Donati and Luciano Damiani…

In 2012, production began on the prestigious monographs, which have celebrated and still celebrate directors, set, lighting and costume designers worldwide. In 2022, the magazine is transformed, changes its format, and begins the production of monographic collectible books.