Commedia DellArte

What do you know about Commedia

Dell Arte?
With the person next to you recap
what Commedia Dell Arte means, the
form it takes and its origins.

You have 3 minutes

http://www.online-stopwatch.com/cou
ntdown/

The development of Commedia Dell Arte; Recap

Commedia dell arte is an improvisational style of theatre which began in sixteenth
century Italy and flourished in Europe for 200 years.

e first recorded commedia dell arte performance

took place in Padua, Italy in 1545.
owever, its roots can be traced as far back as far a
Ancient Greek and Roman Theatre.

What do we know about

Commedia DellArte?
Commedia DellArte when translated is
known in the English language as Comedy
of skill and sometimes called Italian
comedy
This type of performance originated from
Italy in the 16th century and is thought of
as a humorous theatrical presentation.
These presentations were performed by troupes of
professional performers throughout Italy and France on
temporary stages or sometimes in court venues. However,
they were mainly presented in the streets and
marketplaces of towns and cities.

The performances

The material was divided into acts and scenes with a

prologue
These scenes would sometimes consist of scenarios such as;
Disgraceful love plots
Clever tricks about how to get money or outwit someone
less smart
Night scenes where the hero was mistaken for the villain
Father and son falling for the same girl
The actors worked from a basic outline, improvising the
dialogue
and incorporating jokes and physical comedy bits as they
went. The
performers always played the same characters, changing
only their situations
(For example, in one scenario the greedy old man might be
the young heroines father, keeping her away from her
sweetheart; in another, he might be her elderly husband.)

The plays did not originate from already written drama nor were they
completed scripted, in fact they formed around scenarios called Lazzi

Individual performers had a repertoire of jokes,

funny speeches, comic insults and physical stunts
to draw from in their performances, creating comic
routines .

What is Slapstick ???

Originally an instrument used to create a
loud clapping or slapping noise in theatre to
add an extra comic effect .
Sometimes seen in Vaudeville theatre,
Music hall and cartoons.
Nowadays it is used as a term to describe
theatre that is physical, boisterous, violent
yet humorous.
Slapstick theatre involves:
Crude practical jokes (e.g. pie in the face)
Chases, collisions
Humour
Violent scenes
Exaggerated physical action ( e.g.
acrobatics, tumbling)

Commedia DellArte

The performers often wore masks with

exaggerated comic features to help convey a
characters personality and complement the
actors physical and acrobatic skills .
Performed to all social classes, language was no
barrier. Their skills of mime, stereotyped stock
characters, traditional lazzi's (signature stunts,
gags and pranks), masks, broad physical
gestures, improvised dialogue and clowning
became accepted everywhere they travelled.
The performances dialect was not changed
from region to region.
Even when a local company performed,
much of the dialogue would not have been
understood. Communication relied on physical

Stock Characters
What is a stock character?

Stock Characters
Stock characters are fictional people who are
amusing, predictable, and two-dimensional. It was
not uncommon for an actor in a Commedia dell Arte
troupe to play the same stock character for most of
his or her career. Certain traditional Italian
Commedia dell' Arte characters specifically come
from a particular region in Italy, which would take
on a different meaning depending on where they
were performing.
A characters costume, mask, style of speech,
accessories and characterisation were often
derived from a specific regional stereotype which
would be instantly recognisable to audiences
outside the region.

Costumes/Masks

Stock Characters
The Vecchi; Il Dottore, Pantalone
The Lovers
The servants ; Il Capitano, Pulcinella,
Arlecchino, Isabella, Zanni (Lower class
servants)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUnaNTfT
zuM&feature=related

The world of Commedia Dell

Arte
Task 1. Watch the following video
and take notes about the
characters discussed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_
0TAXWt8hY

Task 2

Conduct research and collate character

information on your assigned character
(either Isabella, il Dottore, il Capitano,
Harlequino (Arlecchino) ,the Zanni,
Pulcinella or The Lovers, focusing onTheir personality features i.e. what are their
characteristics and linked actions?
Clothing/costume i.e. masks, props etc.
History i.e. their background/storyline, their
role
Create
a short
character demonstration
in the
performances.
and contextual presentation of your stock
character to deliver to the rest of the
class.
Make sure your research and presentation

Task
You are about to watch a
series of clips
Using the information
gathered on stock
characters
identify the links you
observe between them and
the scenarios and

Clip 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyLsO6LpLSI
Clip 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDcOtnE04Ow&feature=rel
ated
Clip 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSGXxWVCjvQ&feature=re
lated
Clip 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5lU52aWTJo&feature=rela
ted
Clip 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdYgKrSgCyY&feature=rela
ted
Clip 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmKvzHvuYZM&feature=f
vw
Clip 7
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNuX9i7vwqY