Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 79 views

    Introduction To Commedia Dell Arte

    Uploaded by

    Jo Sanburg
    This document provides an introduction to Commedia dell'Arte, including its history, elements, stock characters, and lazzi. Some key points: - Commedia dell'Arte originated in Italy in the 1500s as an improvised comedic theater form, though its exact origins are unclear. It solidified in the 1550s and peaked in popularity in the 1650s. - It features stock characters that always have the same attributes, improvised performances based on scenarios, limited themes of love, money, or food, and the use of masks, mime, acrobatics and music. - The three main character categories are Servants, Masters, and Lovers. Well

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Introduction To Commedia Dell Arte

    Uploaded by

    Jo Sanburg
    79 views14 pages
    This document provides an introduction to Commedia dell'Arte, including its history, elements, stock characters, and lazzi. Some key points: - Commedia dell'Arte originated in Italy in the 1500s as an improvised comedic theater form, though its exact origins are unclear. It solidified in the 1550s and peaked in popularity in the 1650s. - It features stock characters that always have the same attributes, improvised performances based on scenarios, limited themes of love, money, or food, and the use of masks, mime, acrobatics and music. - The three main character categories are Servants, Masters, and Lovers. Well

    Original Title

    Introduction to Commedia Dell Arte (1)

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    This document provides an introduction to Commedia dell'Arte, including its history, elements, stock characters, and lazzi. Some key points: - Commedia dell'Arte originated in Italy in the 1500s as an improvised comedic theater form, though its exact origins are unclear. It solidified in the 1550s and peaked in popularity in the 1650s. - It features stock characters that always have the same attributes, improvised performances based on scenarios, limited themes of love, money, or food, and the use of masks, mime, acrobatics and music. - The three main character categories are Servants, Masters, and Lovers. Well

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    79 views14 pages

    Introduction To Commedia Dell Arte

    Uploaded by

    Jo Sanburg
    This document provides an introduction to Commedia dell'Arte, including its history, elements, stock characters, and lazzi. Some key points: - Commedia dell'Arte originated in Italy in the 1500s as an improvised comedic theater form, though its exact origins are unclear. It solidified in the 1550s and peaked in popularity in the 1650s. - It features stock characters that always have the same attributes, improvised performances based on scenarios, limited themes of love, money, or food, and the use of masks, mime, acrobatics and music. - The three main character categories are Servants, Masters, and Lovers. Well

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    You are on page 1of 14

    Introduction to

    Commedia Dell’ Arte


    History

    Commedia dell'arte is an improvised


    comedic theatre form that flourished
    in Italy in the1500’s. The exact origins
    of Commedia are fuzzy and hard to
    pin down. There is not much
    documented previous to the 16th
    century. The term itself (Commedia
    dell’arte) wasn’t put to common use
    until the 18th century. It is generally
    acknowledged that the form solidified
    in Italy in the 1550’s and reached its
    peak in the 1650’s.
    Elements of Commedia
    Despite an opaque history, the elements that define Commedia are quite clear:

    ● improvised performances based on scenarios​­actors worked off a base outline and made up their lines.

    ● stock characters​­the characters were always the same, only the situations changed.

    ● limited themes​­love, money, or food were the base of almost every scenario.

    ● use of mask​­- the mask defined the characters.

    ● use of lazzi​­: short comedic physical bits within the story.

    ● use of mime​, acrobatics, and music.


    Stock Characters
    The key to creating a Commedia character is to remember that they are stock
    characters​. In every scenario or story they’re in, the characters remain the same.

    They have the same attitude, the same look, the same drive, the same physical
    action.

    That means you would be able to recognize a Commedia stock character in an


    instant by how they move, what they wear, and how they act.
    The Three Categories or Status of Characters
    Creating A Commedia Character: Step Number One

    What category will you choose?

    Commedia characters are fixed types who fall into one of three categories:

    ● The Servants (eg: Arlecchino or Columbina)

    ● The Masters (eg: Pantalone)

    ● The Lovers (eg: Isabella and Flavio )

    The masters are usually foolish greedy old men, and the servants are hungry and mischievous. The
    young lovers are always in love. Most of the characters wear masks, but even those without masks (e.g.
    the Lovers) treat their personas as masks. In Commedia, the characteristics of a character (such as a
    walk, a pose, or a gesture) are just like wearing a mask.
    The Masters
    Common Name: Pantalone

    ● Description:​Old Venetian Merchant. Rich and greedy miser.


    Obsessed with money. Always after women and thinks he’s
    good at it. Gullible and often tricked.
    ● Costume:​Red pants and top with a flowing black cloak. Has a
    money bag.
    ● Mask: ​Long pointed nose. Often has a moustache and bushy
    eyebrows.
    ● Movement:​Leads with the forehead and has a hunched back
    with bent knees. Fluttery hands, which he tries to contain by
    clasping them behind his back.Always bent over, trying to keep
    his money safe!
    The Innamorati - The Young Lovers
    Commonly named: Isabella and Flavio

    ● Description:​These characters are very much in love with love. They


    love each other, they love themselves. They carry mirrors so that
    they can look at themselves as often as possible. They act
    completely over the top in their infatuations (like Soap Opera
    characters). They have no notion of the consequences of their
    actions, nor are they all that bright.
    ● Costume: ​Think Italian Renaissance Princes and Princesses. They
    are covered head to toe, perhaps excessively, in the best fashions
    and finery.
    ● Mask: ​They don’t wear masks, but do wear makeup. They are
    always young and attractive.
    ● Movement:​High status. Whatever they do, it’s melodramatic and over
    the top. They glide instead of walk. They don’t stand, they pose.
    They show pride in every move they make.
    The Servants: Male
    Commonly called : Arlecchino or Scapino

    ● Description: ​Servant, poor, always


    wanting money, always hungry. Carries a
    bat/slapstick. Stupid and smart at the
    same time. Doesn’t want to work but
    eager to please.
    ● Costume:​Tight fitting patchwork/colourful
    costume.
    ● Mask:​Black mask. Small eyes. Catlike
    face.
    ● Movement:​Low status. Very acrobatic and
    quick. Leads with his knees and is very
    active, always on the move, never moving
    in a straight line. Think monkey.
    The Servant: Female
    Female : Common Name: Columbina

    ● Description: ​Servant. Name means Little Dove. A female


    version of Arlecchino ­quick wit, vain, never in love. Often a
    servant to Isabella, an Innamorata. Usually the smartest
    character on stage.
    ● Costume: ​Often dressed in similar colours to Arlecchino. Cap
    and apron. Dressed as a lady’s maid.
    ● Mask:​Sometimes she wears a mask and sometimes not. If she
    does, it’s a small one that only covers the eyes.
    ● Movement:​Though she’s a servant, and therefore low status,
    her movements correspond to her strong, quick­witted
    character. She stands with a hip cocked to the side, hands on
    hips. She moves with quick, strong steps.
    Even Lower Status Servants: The Zanni
    Arlechino and Columbina are Zannis by definition as its the Servant class, but it is not
    unusual to add even more stupid servants to a Commedia piece that Arlechino usually
    orders around- and they generally make a mess of things.

    ● Costume- baggy white pants and top, made of flour sacks


    ● Mask- As seen in the picture, oversized noses.
    ● Movement- they are the original Ministry of Silly Walks, having either a little funny
    chicken walk or an oversized comedic step. If they stop, they go into a crouch
    holding their head in one hand. They frequently rest their hands on their belt.
    ● Speech- they frequently are only physical and don’t have lines, again being sent
    on errands by Arlechino with disastrous results. Think the Three Stooges.
    Other Characters Il Dottore
    ● Description: One of the vecchi,
    or "old men", whose function in a
    Il Capitano scenario is to be an obstacle to
    the young lovers. Il Dottore and
    ● Description: Buffoon military or Pantalone are the comic foil of
    police. Stuffed shirts full of self each other, Pantalone being the
    importance who are cowards at decadent wealthy merchant, and
    Il Dottore being the decadent
    heart. Usually are made a fool
    erudite.
    of in the Lazzi. ● Costume: Black robes and hats
    ● Costume: Over elaborate worn by university professors are
    military with too much gold common.
    braid, medals and feathers. ● Mask: Small eyes, and puffy
    ● Mask: Exaggerated nose, features, maybe wrinkles that
    oversized mustache. suggest confusion.
    ● Movement: Head led, tends to
    ● Movement: Over exaggerated
    use exaggerated arm
    march and poses movements looking intelligent as
    he talks too much.
    Lazzi
    Lazzi (the plural form of lazzo) are physical or verbal gags. They sometimes can add to a plot or relate to the current action, whilst other times they
    have no relevance to the story and serve as a distraction, a humorous interruption or are used to spotlight a character. Most times lazzi are planned
    beforehand, but sometimes actors will improvise a lazzo during the play, without warning.

    Lazzi can be identified as:

    ● Significant, one-time events/a short scene between multiple characters


    ● Recurring gags, which repeat throughout the acts/build upon each repetition, resulting in its own resolution.
    ● How a word is pronounced or how a character speaks.

    Many lazzi involve reactions, props, costumes, timing, exits, entrances, or any other stage business. Lazzi can be divided into
    major categories such as comedic violence, trickery, word play, sexual and body humour.
    Assignment: Lazzi of the Sandwich
    Commedia Character Exercise

    Choose a category of character from the Introduction to Commedia dell’ Arte slide presentation in your
    Google Classroom materials. Now it’s time to rehearse a lazzi. Every commedia actor has a number of
    lazzi in their repertoire. A lazzi is a physical comedic bit in the middle of the play unrelated to the plot.
    The three main themes for Commedia are love, money and food in the extreme ­so that means lazzi are
    also taken to the extreme. They are acrobatic, exaggerated, and sometimes obscene.
    The Lazzi of the sandwich
    Your character enters a room. On a table in the centrer of the room, there is a beautiful sandwich. It
    has a number of layers. It smells delicious. It looks perfect. It does not belong to your character, but
    you are so hungry and you want that sandwich. In character, examine the room. Is the owner of the
    sandwich nearby? You approach the sandwich. Interact with the sandwich. And eat the sandwich. You
    look around the room and leave.
    Assessment Pointers
    ● Keep the following in mind....

    ● Stay in character at all times. The point of the exercise is to show how your character
    ● would interact with a sandwich. How Pantalone completes this exercise would be
    ● different than the way Columbina completes it or one of the lovers.

    ● Commedia characters go to the extreme! If your character is hungry, they are REALLY
    ● hungry. How can you show this? If your character wants the sandwich, they REALLY
    ● want the sandwich. What will your character do to make sure no one else gets the
    ● sandwich?

    You might also like