The Popularity of Commedia dellarte - 685 Words

Commedia dellarte is an improvisational style of theatre which began in the 15th century Italy and kept its popularity then flourished in Europe for 200 years until the late 18th century. If we translate Commedia Dellarte into English it would be the comedy of professional players or comedy of Arts. The word arte means profession so the actors must have been professional in order to work on a stage. It had some other names which they show its nature and features better when we try to read them like; Commedia alla Maschera (comedy of masks), Commedia Improvisso (Improvisation comedy). The core of this comedy was performance or skill of actors on the stage. This style of theatre was based on the actor rather than playwright. Commedia Dellarte had no scripts but it had a few paintings on the stage. Characters used different types of mask for the purpose of offering more fun to the audiences. There were some reasons why started to use masks in this theatre. Originally they used masks for identifying the characters on the stage, recognizing characters and remind them to audiences what they were doing and to improve characters skills. Therefore they used masks to show to audience better and unique performance on the stage. There were stock masks, costumes even specific characters features and their names. They also used music at the end of each act even audiences have joined. Everything depended on the performance of actors because there wasShow MoreRelated Commedia dellarte Essay952 Words   |  4 PagesCommedia dellarte Commedia dellarte is a truly popular form of theatre - of the people, by the people, for the people. Discuss this statement with specific examples of Commedia dellarte scenarios, stock characters, performance features and circumstances. Commedia dellarte is definitely an artform centred on people and their world. Although its origins are hazy due to the illiteracy of its first performers and audience, it is believed to have stemmed from the carnivals in Italy duringRead MoreThe Importance Of The Theatrical Space And How It Can Influence An Audience Essay2017 Words   |  9 Pagesof Commedia dell’arte in Italy. Despite being very close geographically with theatre thriving for both in the same era, sources that explore the social, cultural and historical context of these countries and the theatre styles will bring to light the similarities and differences. This essay will analyse the staging, the behaviour of the audience as well as the challenges the actors faced, and how this directly influenced the relationship between actor, audience and theatrical space. Commedia dell’arteRead More Hollywood and Nathaniel Wests The Day of the Locust Essay3547 Words   |  15 Pagesresembles contemporary Hollywood. Within the glamorous setting of Hollywood, West’s characters take on multiple roles instead of assuming individual personalities. They put on and remove these imaginary personality masks, similar to those in the Commedia dell’Arte, to exhibit a range of emotions that only their character type would exhibit. Consequently, West’s characters are trapped in this restrictive atmosphere, especially at the end of the novel when they become part of a collective mob. In theseRead MoreEssay about Social Context of Italian Madrigals2682 Words   |  11 Pagesmadrigal genre.13 spread of Italian madrigals; however, madrigals benefited the most from musica privata that was introduced by the Duke of Ferrera and made the madrigal part of everyday city life.14 privata accelerated the madrigals popularity and production throughout Western Europe. The upper middle class and nobility influenced madrigals because they were wealthy Many of these street performers were women and led to a rise in the All these factors contributed to the Read MoreBlackface Minstrelsy2278 Words   |  10 Pagesor entracte piece was performed to allow the audience to leave the theater on an up beat note. These after pieces were usually farces and comical performances. The audience loved the imitation of the black slave Rice had performed. Soon the popularity of this act caught on and many other troupe s and actors began performing the black face shows. The tradition began in 1843 when a group of four white men from Virginia, known as the Virginia Minstrels, performed a song-and-dance act in a