Commedia Dell' Arte- Day One

Commedia Dell' Arte is a type of theatre that began during the late 1400s-early 1500s. It originated in Padua, Italy and has been the inspiration of many other types of theatre all over the world (e.g. Pantomime and Shakespeare's work). It involves the use of half masks, stock (pre-set) characters, improvisation as a method of devising performances and the use of multiple languages in performances.

Here are some resources that I have used for research:
https://3d.nhc.ac.uk/Documents/Download/7096ac49-5e1d-4e17-9c5d-74e2d1862fa8
https://3d.nhc.ac.uk/Documents/Download/a1f20335-7946-4011-b2b7-c279a30b3fca

Here are some videos that I have watched in order to get a better understanding of the technique used for Commedia Dell' Arte:

Overview-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP3ruJiklkk&list=PLrb9r20lv7tZAhKyfSblGxW5HB2hmgS4E

The World of Commedia Dell Arte-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_0TAXWt8hY&list=PLrb9r20lv7tZAhKyfSblGxW5HB2hmgS4E

Historical Overview:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqlfTG40RUI

Character Shaping:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJEwuurzDe4&list=PLrb9r20lv7tZAhKyfSblGxW5HB2hmgS4E

Emotion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlIFR6c7NZc

Language:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gTs9xWJcgg

Today we were introduced to the basics of Commedia Dell' Arte. We learnt the technique needed for playing;

The Zanni:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanni

Il Capitano/ The Captain:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Il_Capitano

 

 

Innamorti/ The Lovers:
(Unmasked)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innamorati

La Signora:
(Unmasked)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Signora

Here is my video of these of the characters:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvKcxQR4h4k

Some of our activities involved improvisation. I found that some of my 'gags' worked better than others, I also found that my characters with posh English accents received the most laughs of all. I feel that these activities have helped me to improve on my improvisation skills.