THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2016
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NEWS & FEATURES
TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS
D
uring a recent visit to the
M u s e o T e a t r a l e d e l l a
S c a l a I a d m i r e d m a n y
a n t i q u e p r i n t s o f c o m m e d i a
dell'arte situations. Commedia
dell'arte was a theatrical genre
that evolved in the latter part of
the sixteenth century. It was a
popular reaction to the erudite,
dramatic traditions of the begin-
ning of the century attempting to
rival the great drama of antiqui-
ty. It was not a written art form,
r a t h e r , i t w a s b a s e d o n t h e
improvisation by the actors who
worked around a canovaccio (lit-
erally canvas), or a brief sketch
of a plot. During the latter part of
the sixteenth century, groups of
actors formed troupes (called
compagnie) and traveled playing
this type of unwritten dramatic
form in inns, market places and
theaters. They traveled in Italy,
in France and all over Europe,
influencing the theatrical tradi-
t i o n s o f t h e c o u n t r i e s t h e y
touched. Since plays were not
written down, we unfortunately
do not know exactly what a com-
media dell'arte would have been
like. We have, however, a num-
ber of scenarios left to us. The
most important collection was
p u b l i s h e d b y I m p r e s a r i o
The Masks of the Commedia dell'Arte
The commedia dell'arte developed types, also called maschere, or masks, for different stock characters. Copyright: Il Ricetto - 123RF Stock Photo
LAURA STORTONI-HAGER
