First Folio Theatre Facts:
What is Commedia dell'arte?
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Commedia dell'arte troupe, most likely depicting the Compagnia dei Gelosi ("Company of Jealous Ones"), painted by an unknown artist, c. 1580.
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Commedia dell'arte was a popular style of comedy theater originating from Italy in the mid-16th century. Meaning "comedy of the profession," it emphasized ensemble acting, improvisation, and was characterized by masked "types" (stock characters). |
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The plot of a Commedia dell'arte show often centered on the struggle of young lovers whose union is jeopardized by one or several elders, possibly a jealous guardian. With assistance from comedic servant characters called zanni (from which the word “zany” derives), and through cunning intervention, the story comes to a happy ending. *
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Commedia dell'arte used stock characters that were each given distinctive masks to symbolize their roles, including zanni (mentioned above), pantalone (an old merchant or wealthy man), il dottore (the doctor), arlecchino or harlequin (the clown), pulcinella (which means "little chicken"), il capitano (the braggart soldier) and scaramouche (an unreliable servant). Some characters did not wear masks, such as the innamorati (the lovers) and Pedrolino (a comic servant).**
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A promotional video for First Folio's AS YOU LIKE IT, 2017. Many of Shakespeare's plays were influenced by the stock characters and plot points of commedia dell'arte, such as the 'Seven Ages of Man' speech from AS YOU LIKE IT.
- The art form began to lose its popularity around the turn of the 18th century, as tastes in comedy began to change. The commedia dell’arte’s last traces evolved into pantomime, as introduced in England (1702) by John Weaver at Drury Lane Theatre and developed by John Rich at Lincoln’s Inn Fields.***
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Commedia dell'arte's legacy is how it influenced other playwrights and styles of theater. French dramatist Molière, as well as English playwrights Ben Jonson and William Shakespeare, incorporated characters and devices from the commedia dell’arte in their works. European puppet shows, the English harlequinade, French pantomime, and the slapstick of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton all took inspiration from this classic art form.***
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Examples from Shakespeare's works that were inspired from commedia dell'arte include The Tempest (the pastoral setting, Ferdinand and Miranda are the young lovers, Alonso is the pantalone, and Gonzalo is a zanni), Taming of the Shrew (Baptista is the pantalone, Bianca and Lucentio are the young lovers, Petruchio is il capitano, and his servants are the zanni), and As You Like It (Jacques gives a speech about the Seven Ages of Man, referring to man as a "lover," a "soldier," and a "slippered pantaloon").
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Our 2020-2021 season is sponsored by Alan and Susan Becker
First Folio's programs are sponsored in part by
grants from the Illinois Arts Council (a State agency)
and the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation.
First Folio Theatre is supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
All performances take place on the grounds of the Mayslake Peabody Estate, which is owned and operated by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. Indoor shows are presented in Mayslake Hall, a 30-room Tudor Revival style mansion originally built by coal baron Francis S. Peabody. Completed in 1922, the mansion is on the National Registry of Historic Places.
First Folio Theatre is fully accessible with reserved ADA seating available and assisted listening devices available for all indoor performances. To request ADA seating, please contact the Box Office at 630-986-8067.
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© 2021, First Folio Theatre. |
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