Chapter 6 Provoking Acts: The Theatre of Berio’s Sequenzas Jonet K. Halfyard erio'e Seguonzae ate recognired at ane of the most innovative and influential achievements of any composer of the late twentieth century. Most of the Scholarship surounding he series vorecutaies, unsurprisingly, vv musical ‘elements: issues in composition, performance and musical analysis. This essay looks beyond the purely musical specs ofthe Sequenzas to investigate the extent ‘to which they may also he considered works of theatre “Theatre was an important medium for Berio, and he wrote many works specifically for teatical performance, from Passugiio (1961-62) and works sch ‘5 Laborinus 11 (1965) and Opera (1969-70) othe large-scale theatrical works of the Ine 1970s onwards, principally La vera storia (1977-81). Un Re in Ascolto (1979-84), Outs (1995-96) and Cramaca de! Luogo (1999), However. ideas of theatricality permeate other works as well. The tape work, Visage (1961), has a strong sense of theatre in terms of narative, character and implied action, as do works such as 4-Romme (writen originally forthe radio in 1974 and revised as 9 ‘concert Version in 1975) and the third movement of Sinfonia (1908), In ciscwssing the theatricality of the Sequenzas, the first part of this essay examines ideas of theatre inthe form of narrative, character and action, while the final section turns 1 the idea of viewosity as specifically musical form of theatricality thet connects all fourteen pieces, Narrative, character and action, ‘One of the most obvious ways in which the Sequonzas ae theatrical as opposed to purely musical lies in the introduction of exira-musteal elements into the ‘compositions and their performances. This generally occurs by three different means: the use of some form of dramatic scenario or linear narrative; the symbolic presence of opesiie individuale ae ‘charactor’ within the taxt af the composition: and the inclusion of behaviours beyond the usual actions of playing an instrument. These ditferemt modes of theuriealty are often imerlinked radher dam discrete