The Lagoon Loop - Exploring Venice’s Scenographic Dilemma, Thesis Tutor: Stelios Giamarelos ‘The Lagoon-Loop’, a play sited in Venice, follows the main characters Marco and Lorenzo on their round-trip through the city. Starting at the train station the two friends make their way to a screening of Groundhog Day close to San Marco. In the back of a watertaxi, they start a discussion about Venice’s scenographic character. Passing Piazza San Marco, the scenic and recursive traditions of the Venetians and their rulers become apparent; St. Mark’s Basilica is revealing the city’s strategies of demonstrating power using associations. Slowed down by the tourist masses, the protagonists encounter the main conflict: Venice is stuck in a feedback-loop without future perspectives. How can it be broken? After the screening of Groundhog Day, Marco and Lorenzo soon discover the parallels between Venice’s and Phil’s situation in the movie. What can the city learn from Phil’s escape of the loop?
