Commedia DellArte Zie Wilhelm Jake Coppage Jordan Marcum

Commedia Dell'Arte Zie Wilhelm, Jake Coppage, & Jordan Marcum

When/where did the era take place? • Italian theatrical era • Spanned from the 16 th to 18 th century • Commedia = comedy

Additional facts about the era • Outside of Italy, it had much success in France • Commedia dell’Arte didn't receive its name until 1750 • The earliest known company was in Padua in 1545

Characters • Hanswurst - (cunning yet stupid) • Arlecchino (childlike acrobat) • Il Capitano (the captain) • Pedrolino (dreamer/clown) • Brighella (cowardly villian)

Playwrights • ANDREA CALMO - Created the character Pantalone. • ANGELO BEOLCO - Italian writer. One of the founding fathers of Commedia dell' Arte. • FLAMINIO SCALA - Troupe: I Gelosi

Audience • Performances took place on the streets • Began to move inside in the 1700 s • Commoners and city folk could enjoy

Theater Appearance • Simple and easy set designs (done on streets) • Small stage – Banco • Simple painted backdrops • Sets were portable and light

Purpose • Improvisation was emerging as a popular acting method • People wanted to laugh and make parodies of daily life • Comedic acting methods expanded and grew • Grew as a response to the political and economic crises at the time

Conventions • Stock characters made easily recognizable • Over the top characters • Acrobatics and dancing • Music would be utilized often in shows • Half-masks worn by stock characters • Performances were rehearsed improvisation • Lazzi – character physical actions that occurred out of the blue

Bibliography • http: //www. factionoffools. org/history • https: //www. britannica. com/art/commedia-dellarte • https: //www. thoughtco. com/what-you-need-to-know-aboutcommedia-dellarte-4040385 • https: //commedia-dell-arte. weebly. com/leadingplaywright. html • https: //thedramateacher. com/commedia-dellarte-conventions/