Chapter 1

History

Commedia dell'arte (meaning: comedy of the art) was a style of Italian street theater that flourished during the 14th-18th centuries. Commedia was the first theatrical form in Europe that featured women on stage and it was also the first professional form of theatre; all performances were funded entirely by audience donations. The style relied heavily upon good group dynamics as the performances were entirely improvised. The idea, ‘soggetto,’ was discussed by the actors before every performance. The actors would then work from this basic plot and make up their own dialogue in the heat of the moment. As time went on, some of the more popular plots were repeated many times and were eventually scripted.

Themes

Performances generally focused on ideas surrounding:

• Love and sex
• Money and relationships
• Misunderstandings
• Meetings of people long separated
• The duping of a love-sick old man
• The trials of young and thwarted lovers

Chapter 2

Stagecraft

Staging

Because Commedia was a form of street theatre performance spaces were temporary and were usually constructed from barrels and large pieces of wood. Troupes would typically perform in city streets or in town squares (piazze). Rather than fight the environment the performers of this time simply chose to work with it by setting their plays on the streets and market places to rid themselves of the need for complicated sets. Occasionally groups would be allowed to perform in courts and on rare occasions more famous performers were invited to perform in palaces (palazzi).

Costumes

Each of the characters had a standard costume that he/she would wear to make themselves recognisable. Remember, performances took place in the streets and so many people would pass them by at various intervals, so, audiences needed to be able to connect with a story and its characters quickly to remain interested. In moments a person would know what characters were involved, their motivations and have a good understanding of what was happening.

Masks

The majority of Commedia's characters wore masks. These masks were worn for two reasons in particular: 1) Like costumes they helped audiences distinguish between characters. 2) They highlighted notable features of a characters face to express particular qualities, e.g., Il'Captitano's long slender nose suggests that he is a liar who likes to tell tall tales. Certain characters known as the Innamorati (The Lovers) and the Aristocrats (The 1st actor and actress) did not wear masks like the others. They simply wore make-up to highlight their natural features. The absence of a mask allowed to actors to perform more freely.

Chapter 3

Actors/Acting

Characters

There were a consistent cast of characters almost like a modern sitcom. Each character had a particular persona and physical traits, so audiences could recognise them regardless of who played them. Most actors would play and specialise in the performance of a single character, perfecting the part over the years.

• Pantelone: An old Venetian merchant who is serious, accidentally funny, and prone to long tirades (speeches) and good advice.
• Isabella: Usually presented as Pantelone's daughter. She is flirtatious, headstrong, dramatic and prone to mood swings.
• Arlechino: Is commonly presented as a servant to Pantalone. He is a prankster, he is clownish and acrobatic. He often plays the fool but he can be quick witted and brilliant too.
• Capitano: An ex soldier who is often hired by Pantalone to do his dirty work. Ironically he is a complete and utter coward even though he boasts about past glories and his fearlessness in battle.
• Dottore: A Doctor who is serious, rarely consciously comic, cheap, lecherous, greedy and arrogant.
• Innamorati (Isabella, Lelio, Flavio and Vittoria): The Lovers tend to be overly dramatic in whatever emotion they express. Separation from their lover causes them great heartache and sadness, although, once they finally meet, they are at a loss of words. In order to express what they truly want to say, they always need the help of a servant to act as a go-between.

For a larger list of stock characters and their profiles go to:

http://shane-arts.com/commedia-stock-characters.htm

Acting

In Commedia dell'Arte the actors didn't just act. Their performances had to be dynamic in order to draw in and maintain a crowd on a busy city street. Most, if not all actors had numerous skills in order to keep the crowd engaged.

• Singing
• Clowning
• Mime
• Acrobatics
• Dancing
• Juggling
• Music
• Magic

These skills would also be used during 'intermezzi' (interludes) to hold the audience in between the acts of a performance. Acting ensembles traveled throughout all of Italy and so they needed to be adaptable. Their performances were extremely dynamic and versatile because they had to appeal to a variety of audiences. They also had to know how to speak various dialects so that the local townspeople could understand.

Lazzi

In addition to these strict characteristics each character would have a series of 'lazzi' (funny routines) that they could perform when the action faltered. For example, if the action fell flat whilst Dottore was on was on stage he could resort to one of the following actions:

1. Believe someone suffers from an illness which they obviously do not. Offers to cure them.
2. Spontaneously diagnoses performers on stage.
3. Accidentally takes his own medicine.
4. Forces people to try strange potions.
5. Having a large and frighteningly humorous medical instruments.

Each character would have a similar bank of routines that they could draw from when necessary.

Workshop

Create a scene based on the title, The Missing Bag of Money. Use as many Commedia dell'Arte characters as you can. Your performance must utilise the acting skills of the Commedia Actors. (In groups 4)

For more information on the theatrical style you can refer to these webpages:

http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/backstage/commedia-dellarte

http://www.britannica.com/art/commedia-dellarte

http://shane-arts.com/commedia-history.htm

http://www.theatrehistory.com/italian/commedia_dell_arte_001.html

http://www.factionoffools.org/history