Commedia Dell’Arte

The Historical Context of

pantomime
Unit 4
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/countdown/
 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.

The first recorded commedia dell’ arte performances

took place in Padua, Italy in 1545.
However, its roots can be traced as far back as far as
Ancient Greek and Roman Theatre.
 What do we know about
Commedia Dell’Arte?
•Commedia Dell’Arte 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
heroine’s 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 Dell‘Arte
• The performers often wore masks with exaggerated comic
features to help convey a character’s 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
Comedy and the use of archetypal (stereotypical)
characters
 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 character’s 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=ZUnaNTfTzuM&
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