Set is probably the hardest aspect of Commedia to research because there isn't must to it. I looked at about 20 sites and only one of them had substantial information on the subject. The most 'important'/'memorable' parts of Commedia are the stock characters and the masks. Therefore, the modest set isn't remembered as clearly. Here is the information I found:
- · When it first originated, some of the Commedia companies would perform in the ‘great’ houses of that time period.
- · Most of the Commedia companies however, performed in the streets.
- · The companies would travel from town to town to perform.
- · When performing they would be competing with other vendors ‘shouting their wares’ (Understanding Italy) in the same area.
- · Having to compete with other vendors gave motive to a very ‘over-the-top’ (Understanding Italy) form of acting.
- · When arriving at a new performance site, the stage manager for the company would pin up the scenario. The actors would then improvise a performance of this scenario using language and action.
- · If the improv felt like it was not going anywhere, the actors would start to use set speeches to help move the play forward.
(Understanding Italy)
Works Cited
"Commedia dell' Arte." Understanding Italy. Understanding Italy, n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2011.
<http://www.understandingitaly.com/profile-content/commedia.html>.
No comments:
Post a Comment