Commedia Dell'Arte Raymond

How can commedia be adapted to suit modern audiences?

Historical background of Commedia Dell'Arte?

What are the main stock characters in Commedia?

Commedia due to the large proportion of improvisation which is present, lots different scenes as well as plots, this increases in audience interatibility with the commedia dell'Arte. Since commedia dell'Arte weas most popular in the 16th century, technology was next to non-existent, thus Commedia has adapted to fit into this society by bringing social media references, this provides relatability for the younger audience, leading for them to be more engaged in the play.

Commedia Dell'Arte originated in Italy, began off as professional theatre. Commedia dell'Arte created lasting influence on different theatres in our modern society such as stand up comedy and mime. This form of theatre was most popular in the 16th Century, providing entertainment for all the differnet classes of society. Commeida was a unique type of Theatre as it contained no script, characteres would commonly improvise on the spot, due to the lack of instrument, all sound effects were made by actors.

There are a wide range of stock characters in Commedia, the stock characters would depend on the plot of the story. One of the major stock characters in Commedia would be the Zanni, the Zanni belongs to the lowest class in society, being the servants for the wealthier classes. Zanni's would wear poor and patched up clothing and be light on there feet, usually Zanni's would be younger actors to show curiosty and youth. Another of the major characters in Commeida would be Magnifico/pantole, he or she would belong to the upper classes of society, usually portrayed to be older people. Some of the key characteristic of Pantole would be there love of money.

Commedia dell'Arte

What are some of the conventions used in Commedia?

What are some of the convetions used in Commedia

Commedia dell'Arte uses a broad range of conventons to bring out uniqueness and difference from other theatricals. The main conventions in Commedia would be the Lazzi, a Lazzi is a verbal or physical gag designed to get a laugh from the audience as well as help with transition scenes. Lots of the Lazzi's used nby actors would have been imporivsed on the spot, this in because Lazzi's are dependent on the audience. Another convention which is commonly used is audience interaction, this ranges from asking the audience or involving the audience with the play.

Some of the other conventions which are present in Commedia are the use of stage and where they would typically perfrom. Commedia is different for both the upper classes as well as lower classes. In the lower classes. Commedia would be performed in the town square, this way people who are poor do not need to pay. Acting techniques are also crucial to Commedia dell'Arte as they provide different in acting as well a clear image on each of the different stock characters. The upper classes of society would usually walk with their heads up whereas the lower society would usually have a lower body weight and make themselves seem less important.