Presentation

Notes

Below are images of notes taken down for research purposes alongside writing up the work we were partaking in, my scenes in particular. I played the part of the lover within the complicated story of Cyrano De Bergerac.

Diverse Aspects of Commedia

What is Commedia d'ell Arte?

An online definition, " an improvised kind of popular comedy in Italian theatres in the 16th -18th Centuries, based on stock characters. Actors adapted their comic dialogue and action according to a few basic plots (commonly love intrigues) and to topical issues." This is not entirely true, both by secondary information which then was verified by primary research, Commedia in fact began as early as the late 14th century/early 15th century. Not quite developed into what it became to be within the next century, it originally started as a comedy of the servant character Zanni.
Performed during this period, all performances were held outdoors and within an amphitheater with a small stage central and on ground level. These stages tended to be wooden and hollow, which meant that in order to be heard and keep the audience engaged, their footwork had to be grand yet precise and incredibly quiet otherwise they would not be heard by the drum effect of the flooring. These pieces could last up to 3/4 hours at best, and all were improvised pieces which discussed social aspects of the time and, as mentioned above, incorporated a love sequence which opened the possibilities of mistaken identities, misinterpreted letters/messages, and also the bawdy humor that may come with it.
Commedia has many certainties that need to be abided by, one of them is the type of comedy used; mentioned previously bawdy humour is accepted however, there is a very fine line between vulgar humour and obscene. An example would be, a slapstick comedy scene in which a man is trying to bed a woman, there could be moments when he is about to achieve exactly what he wants but will just miss it by an inch, the overstepping of the line (into obscene behaviour) would be if he achieved his goal and then wallowed in the moment. Almost as though the joke has been made and then it's explained in great detail as it's happening, there's a high chance of 'over-egging the pudding' and it ruins the art of the comedy.
Masks are also a  huge element within commedia. The preset expressions on the material make the scenes funnier as they either agree with the situation or juxtapose it, but both are very comical outcomes. Not full face masks, these masks can cover the cheeks, nose, eyes and forehead like this:

Stock characters are another big part of commedia, These are characters which are predominantly based on social stereotypes; these attributes are culminated and exaggerated through personality traits, gestures and the manner in which an actor decides to speak. These tend to be emphasised to the level at which they are recognised in many pieces of theatre and film today, they can be rooted back to commedia, Below are a few of the characters that we looked into in a bit more depth:

Characters	Movement	Relationship
Capitano	Tall Rolling of the shoulders Knees up and outwards Chin high Broad shoulders Chest outward	High status. A loner, self obsessed and vain. Fearful of any form of combat but a great self proclaimer. Egotistical and has a large presence on stage.
Columbina	Introvert but confident Steps in a sequence of 3 Replicates a Zanni stance	Low status. Zanni and Columbina have chemistry however, nothing is ever pursued. Female Zanni.  Normally perky and petite, circus like. Moves efficiently and pacey to be an effective servant.
Innamorati (Lovers)	Leaps and jumps Fluid movements (grand) One leg is always bent Elegant and sleek	High status. Infatuated. In love with themselves being in love. Always aware of being watched.
Pantalone	Crouched stance Walks with a bounce	High status. Collector of money. Driven by finance. Egotistical and sexually driven.
Zanni - Forms of a zanni can be named Brighella, Alichino	Walks with a hunched shoulders Leg raised to waist height Opposite arm meeting leg with each step Curved back	Easily distracted, clumsy, food obsessed servant. Can easily fall asleep on the job and is able to sleep upright.

As well as performances which took place within a theatrical sense, a lot of commedia took place within the streets. At a market for instance, there may have been a lot of Brighella (higher status than a Zanni, however, a servant nonetheless) characters putting on mini plays in order to earn money.

The Beginning

As many of us first years were unaware of what Commedia Dell'Arte was, we did a bit of research about it. An online definition deciphers it as, "This colourful and extremely theatrical art form is based on the interaction of traditional stock characters in improvised scenarios that facilitate a comic plot to arrive at a humorous climax." In short, it's the Art of Comedy.

I particularly was aware of the incorporation of masks prior to my research but was unaware on the other elements. Ella sent us a few links in order to help us specifically analyse our research in preparation of the production on Cyrano de Bergerac that we were performing by the end of the workshop.

The video below is the version that I watched:

The video above was a more modern interpretation of the story, the video below is one we were advised to watch.