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Free Academy. Monumental European Churches

Starting date: January 8, 2025

Academy Courses are FREE TO JOIN 

And Tip-Supported

Key Points

Course Description

How did monumental European churches and their performance spaces develop? This course considers prehistoric and ancient precedents to European churches, historical developments from domestic to memorial (round) and basilica (rectilinear) designs, and their expression of animal-human drives, evoking various emotions, through inner/outer theatre (brain and social) networks.

Lesson 1 - Prehistoric and Ancient Precedents with Temple, Tomb, or Home Designs

January 8th, 2025

Explore ancient Greco-Roman (and earlier prehistoric) precedents to European churches and their relic powers.

Duration: approximately 1h

Lesson 2 - Patriarchal, Maternal, and Trickster Dimensions of Major Churches

January 15th, 2025

Consider the family-related, inner/outer-theatre networks of churches and baptisteries in Germany, France, Denmark, Spain, and Italy.

Duration: approximately 1h

Lesson 3 - Competitive and Cooperative Drives with Holy Land Ties

January 22nd, 2025

Investigate Jerusalem sites of holiness and conflict, plus related courtyard and fountain aspects in Ravenna, Rome, and Canterbury.

Duration: approximately 1h

Lesson 4 - From Papal to Postmodern Theatricality (in Rome and Helsinki)

January 29th, 2025

Discover the playful twists, as well as regal and nurturing controls, at sacred sites in the Eternal City and Finnish capital.

Duration: approximately 1h

Replay Lessons​

Free Academy - Monumental European Churches Lesson 1 - 2025-01-08T18:53:11Z.mp4

Free Academy - Monumental European Churches Lesson 2 - 2025-01-15T18:57:37Z.mp4

WVT + PROFESSOR OF THEATRE/FILM, ART, ARCHITECTURE, MUSIC, DANCE, RELIGIOUS STUDIES, COMMUNICATION, AND ANTHROPOLOGY AT UNC CHARLOTTE, AUTHOR OF SEVEN BOOKS AND AWARD-WINNING FILMS

Tutor: Dr. Mark Pizzato

I am Mark Pizzato, an MFA, PhD, and Professor of Theatre and Film at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. I teach various subjects, including art, architecture, music, dance, religious studies, communication, and anthropology. My latest book, European Churches and Chinese Temples as Neuro-Theatrical Sites, was published by Bloomsbury in 2024. I have authored six prior books on global theatre history, onscreen animal-human depictions, and the psychology of theater and cinema, among other topics. My short films have won awards, and I have also self-published a sci-fi-farce novella, Outer Space Speaks, available on Amazon.

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