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From the Directors... Commedia Dell’ Arte is a style of theatre with masks, acrobatics, stock or stereotype characters, and sit-com-like plots. First performed by travelling acting troupes in Renaissance Italy, Commedia plays originated during Carnivale, the big street party before Lent, and were often done at fairs and markets. The Commedia was the first theatre with professional actors, where women were accepted as professionals in their own right, sometimes even leading their own troupes. The broad physical style and zany plots are based on lazzi, comedy ‘bits’ or schtick from each actor’s personal repertoire which were added to the plot agreed upon by the troupe. Some scholars believe that Commedia Dell’Arte plays were entirely improvised in performance, with only a loose plot as a guide. However, modern Commedia actors have discovered that you make more money when you’re funny every time, and support the theory that the plays allowed room for improvisation, but were scripted and rehearsed. The stock Commedia Dell’ Arte characters include: Pantalone, the lecherous old miser; Arlecchino, the trickster servant; Capitano, the braggart soldier who’s really a coward; Pulcinella, the cranky glutton; and the vain, airheaded Lovers. From these came the stock characters of modern sitcoms – in the Simpsons, Mr. Burns is a Pantalone, Bart an Arlecchino, and Homer a very dumb Pulcinella. And in both sitcoms and Commedia, the characters solve the problem by the end of the show, but the characters never change and no-one really learns anything! Macpant was created by teaching the actors the fundamentals of mask work, acrobatics, and the Commedia style, handing them a loose script, and letting them go wild. Each actor improvised his own comic lazzi in rehearsal, which they refined and added to the script. Though the words were largely written for them, most of the physical business you see on stage was invented by the actors themselves. As directors, our main job was reining in the scatalogical and the bizarre, and making sure the technical aspects of the style were smoothly performed. Macpant has truly been an ensemble effort! Commedia Zuppa creates original works using Physical Theatre, Mask, Circus, and Commedia Dell’ Arte and shares these techniques with student and professional actors through residencies and performances. Commedia Zuppa collaborators, Allison Williams and Todd Espeland, have taught and performed at Western Michigan University, Rollins College, Theatre Winter Haven, Magic Circle Theatre (MI), and for the Educational Theatre Association at Thespian Festivals and teacher’s conventions around the country. They are currently touring the Renaissance Festival circuit as the Daring Devilinis, and are proud to return for their second season at the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, where last year they coached Commedia for Pantalone Rides Again!.
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