LAUSR

The Jewish community of Mantua in Italy, a vibrant cultural center for Jews, performed plays for the Christian community from at least as early as 1520. During the 150 years of continuous theatre production, there were no public disputations in Mantua even though residents of Mantua often partook in debates elsewhere. This essay argues that theatre functioned as a forum for disputation in Mantua supplanting the need for a formal tradition of disputation. Theatre provided a context for the exchange in ideas about social functioning within each community, and it enabled Jewish community members to air ideas about the value of Jewish ideals in relation to Christian ideals. As soon as the Jews ceased producing theatre for their own community and for the Christian community, disputation began. Therefore, it appears as if the absence of theatre as a public forum for exchange made it necessary to have recourse to disputations.