Introduction to Commedia dellArte

Resource Pack for Schools

Learning Through Theatre 2016 www.learningthroughtheatre.co.uk

 Introduction to Commedia dellArte Resource Pack

Learning Through Theatre was founded in 2013 by Cheryl Parmenter. Cheryl is a teacher, performer
and director of Commedia dellArte, mask and physical theatre and has delivered
educational workshops, one-to-one training and professional development courses nationwide.
Cheryl has been working with Commedia dellAre for over 20 years and has taught and performed
internationally and has been directing theatre productions and tours for ten years.

Cheryl trained in physical theatre at cole Philippe Gaulir and in Commedia dellArte with John
Rudlin, Michael Chase and Antonio Fava. She is a qualified drama teacher and has taught GCSE, BTEC
and A Level. Learning Through Theatre pairs this understanding of the needs of the teacher, with
extensive subject knowledge to support both student and teacher in the study of Commedia
dellArte.

The mask is a powerful performance tool. For some, the mask provides security through a sense of
anonymity, allowing the quietest performer to find a voice, liberating them to express themselves
with new found confidence; for others, the mask harnesses and channels energy into a positive
characterisation process. For high level performers, rigorous physical precision is demanded to
master comic timing and the nuances of character.

Our Educational Objectives

To provide an enriching and memorable learning experience, that engages an

entire group supporting all levels of ability
To support and enhance curriculum delivery of Drama, Theatre Studies and English
through relevant, engaging and challenging participatory workshops
To enable learners to experience Text in Performance through practical exploration
To use the mask as a tool to enable participants to step out of their comfort zone
and develop greater performance confidence
To enable rapid acquisition of core mask and performance skills and to develop
performance discipline
To provide groups of learners with the skills needed for ensemble devising
and performance.

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Contents

Commedia dellArte Facts 3

A Brief History of Commedia dellArte 4
Origins of the Characters 6
Useful weblinks for further research 9
Performance Techniques for mask work 10
Lazzi 16
Meccanismi 16
Scenarios 17

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Commedia dellArte Facts

February 25th 1545 was the day that Commedia dellArte became a legitimate
business and is annually celebrated as Commedia dellArte Day.

Commedia dellArte performers were the first professional actors, paid to perform
through selling tickets.

Originally all parts were played by men.

Women were first introduced to the stage in 1567 by Commedia dellArte troupe Il
Gelosi. The first documented appearance was by an actress named Vincenza Armani.

Commedia actors would perform one particular character for many years, perfecting
every nuance of the character. The mask was then often passed on to their son to
perform, once they retired from acting.

Slapstick comedy derives from the wooden slapstick bat used most commonly by
Arlecchino in scenes of mock violence known in Italian as a batocci.

Mr Punch the puppet started life in Naples, in around 1545, as the bully, Pulchinella.

Shakespeare took direct inspiration from Commedia dellArte for many plays, such
as The Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night and Midsummer Nights Dream.
Shakespeares Fools are based on the Zanni character type and his romantic leads
are based on the Lovers.

Carlo Goldoni, playwright of A Servant of Two Masters, was criticised for bringing
about the death of Commedia by writing plays down on paper and demanding
Commedia actors to perform without masks and with rehearsed scripts.

From around 1770 to 1900, Harlequin (Arlecchino) was the star of the English
Harlequinade, which later evolved into Pantomime.

Commedia dellArte has inspired generations of performers, directors, writers and

designers for nearly 500 years.

We get our word zany from the Commedia character Zanni and we say that
someone talks a load of Bologni thanks to the ridiculous ramblings of Il Dottore
who is based on the educated scholars who studied at the University of Bologna.

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF Commedia dellArte

Commedia dellArte is an Italian Renaissance form that uses half

masks covering eyes, nose and top lip leaving the mouth free to talk.
Commedia started on the streets in the 16th Century and grew to
become one of the most enduring and influential theatre styles in
the world.

The influence of Commedia dellArte spans from Shakespeare and

Moliere, to vaudeville and Chaplin. Every classic comedy that has
stood the test of time is indebted to Commedia dellArte for hilarious,
comic character types and physical slapstick and tomfoolery. The
influence of this form has also crept into Opera, Ballet and Fine Art
through the work of Stravinsky, Puccini and Picasso amongst many
others.

The most popular entertainments of the first part of the 20th century seem closely
related to the Commedia. Indeed it is hard to conjure images of the Commedia without
seeing Charlie Chaplin, W.C. Fields, Bert Lahr, The Marx Brothersor Laurel and Hardy
Mel Gordon, Lazzi: The Comic Routines of the Commedia dellArte

In the beginning, Commedia dellArte was a past-time for members of local Guilds groups
of tradesmen who came together after work to make some entertainment through amateur
dramatics. Commonly performed in the market square or as part of a carnival, Commedia
took place on the streets wherever passers-by would watch. Initially, the stage was just a
marked out patch of ground, but soon it developed into a raised platform so that the actors
could be seen above the crowds and their voices heard.

Limited scenery, long nose masks, a few props, acrobatics and music
were features of this early form initially known as Commedia di
Zanni. As the name suggests, this type of performance only featured
Zanni characters: an archetypal fool whose thought process was
simplistic and governed by physical and carnal needs. For the
character of Zanni, the actor wore a mask with a long and often
deformed nose (the longer the nose, the more dim-witted the
character). The comedy of these early plays relied on crude and often violent humour
between the Zanni. Although this form was partially successful, the comedy was limited and
the actors realised that the narrative needed to progress if it was to maintain audience
appeal.

The Magnifico character was introduced as a mirror to the wealthy, powerful landowners of
the time presenting the ideal countermask to Zanni: the poor peasants who worked the land

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or were in servitude. The most notable Magnifico type was the Venetian form,
Pantalone, based on the miserly merchants seen on the docks in Venice who traded gold.
Pantalones mask bears a hook nose, wrinkled lines and pursed lips and is typically played as
an old, arthritic man who wrings his hands and protects his purse at all costs.

The next characters to emerge were il Dottore and il Capitano based

on two other recognisable character types who were commonly
seen amongst the crowds in market towns of Renaissance Italy. Il
Dottore (The Doctor) was a quack; a charlatan who pedalled his
wares to passers by proffering cure-alls, potions or ointments. He
is a self-proclaimed expert in any subject he so chooses, be it warts
or the universe, depending on what the storyline requires. Capitano is a stranger from out
of town, usually a military man who boasts of battles and victories. This character is one
that derives directly from Roman plays where The Braggart was a familiar fop who told tall
stories and arrogantly strutted about the stage. In Commedia dellArte, il Capitano is a
show-off who loves the sound of his own voice but a coward when faced with danger or
confrontation.

A key moment in theatrical history took place in around 1568 when

women entered the stage. Until this point all characters were played
by men but it was a famous troupe, Il Gelosi, which began a
revolution in theatre by introducing an actress, unmasked, as an
Innamorati: a Lover. Women on stage caused a sensation with shock
and gossip, attracting voyeurs and considerable criticism, but the
result was a surge in popularity for Commedia dellArte and the rise
of the Prima Donna on the stage.

Wherever there are witty servants and domineering masters, young wives and old
husbands, pompous pedants, thwarted lovers or bragging soldiers, the Commedia is there
in spirit and also very often form

Simon Callow, preface of The Comic Mask in the Commedia dellArte by A. Fava

Soon the players moved from the streets to perform in courts and palaces and eventually in
theatres. The plays themselves were always improvised, using physical theatre, simple
humour and stock narratives. Actors traditionally performed without scripts, relying on a
loose running order to decide the narrative flow and they became
famous for their outstanding skills in improvisation. There were
some pre-rehearsed elements that could be used for comic effect.
These were known as Lazzi: physical comic gags that are intended to
entertain rather than advance the plot. Lovers may have rehearsed
concetti: poems or pieces of erudite verse about love and beauty. Il
Dottore may have a rehearsed sproloquio: a rambling speech on a

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subject in which he is a self-proclaimed expert. It was essential that each actor knew their
given character intricately so that they could fully embody the character no matter what
situation they were thrown into. Each character has a distinct repertoire of moves and
stances to be learnt together with stock comic business that could be relied on to help the
improvisation flow.

The popularity of Commedia dellArte reached a peak in the 1700s as the form was
replicated in cities across Europe, appearing in France as the Comdie-Italienne and in
England as the Harlequinade: the forerunner of Vaudeville and Pantomime.

Origins of the Characters

The characters in the Commedia dellArte were mirrors on the society of the day. With no
malicious intent, the performers gently lampooned the people they saw going about their
business in the markets and courts of their city, reflecting the social hierarchy that existed
so strongly in 16th century Italy. Some characters have a history that dates back to Roman
theatre.

Zanni is the basic name given to all low ranking clown characters in
Commedia. There were numerous names given to zanni, varying for
every troupe of performers. These are the servants who are the
source of most of the comic action in the scenarios. The zanni
character would have been a social type well known to the
audiences of the day: they were peasants from humble, rural
communities who had immigrated to the big cities in search of work,
shelter and food. They are vagrants who willingly become servants
to anyone who will feed them: simple folk, un-educated and easily fooled. There are two
levels of zanni 1st and 2nd. The 1st zanni take on a higher ranking serving role and will often
demonstrate their power and status above a 2nd zanni who is the general dogs body or
gopher. Actors would chose the name for their zanni and so numerous names exist:
Arlecchino, Brighella, Pulchinella, Bertolino, Burratino, Fichetto, Scaramuccia, Fritellino,
Coviello, Smeraldina, Francheschina, Columbina.

Brighella is a 1st zanni thought to come from "upper Bergamo" and

considered to be craftier with some natural intelligence. Brighella is
street-wise and is capable of offering sound advice when needed.
Although a servant too, Brighella's intelligence has allowed him to
better himself and is often in charge of other servants. He may
appear as an opportunist or a free loader; often in role as a bouncer,
a pub landlord or a heavy.

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Arlecchino is the name of a 2nd zanni character type who had, by the
end of the eighteenth century, become the central character in the
scenarios. In France he became known as Arlequin and at the end
of the nineteenth century, appearing in English theatre, he became
Harlequin, the star of the earliest form of pantomime: the
Harlequinade. He is based on a country lad who hails from "lower
Bergamo," in Northern Italy. He has a large appetite for food and
foolishness. He is of little brain though tries hard to hatch big plans; a trickster always
looking for a way to make his life easier. His sweetheart is Columbina, though she plays very
hard to get. He is a hopeless and hapless romantic. Arlecchino has taken on different names
with different Commedia companies: he becomes Truffaldino for example in A Servant of
Two Masters.

Smeraldina/Columbina is a female zanni (or rather servetta).

Traditionally un-masked, the servetta emerged at the advent of women
being allowed on stage, usually as the maid or lady-in-waiting to the
mistress of the house. Previously men played female zanni in masks,
known as zagna. These early zagna were bawdy and grotesque, playing
out crude and lusty scenes. In the middle of the eighteenth century, when
Commedia dellArte started appearing in France (the Comedie Italienne),
Columbine became the most famous female servant taking on more
genteel and balletic qualities. She is intelligent and wise and often the only character who
can see the truth of the situation and can help the audience make sense of a plot. She loves
Arlecchino, but as one loves a puppy and she sees him for the fool he is. She teases him but
will never really let him have her.

Pulcinella is a 2nd zanni who originates from Naples, in Southern Italy. Whole
groups of Pulchinella masks have been captured in pictures of carnival
processions and some of these still take place today in Southern Italy. He is
hunchbacked and potbellied and his mask has a deeply furrowed forehead
and a hooked nose like an eagle. He is a quarrelsome clown, who can be by
turns faithful, revengeful, cowardly, and a bully. In England, this character
famously morphed into Mr Punch the puppet from Punch and Judy.

Magnifico is in fact the very antithesis of his name as he long ago lost his
magnificence and is now a miserable, greedy, mean old man, generally
riddled with arthritis. He will be the head of a major household in the
town, living under the delusion that he still has power and wealth.
According to different towns where Commedia was performed, the name
of the Magnifico changed. The most famous Magnifico is Pantalone,
recognized by his bent nose and heavily lined mask. A stereotypical Jewish
miser from Venice, he made his wealth trading gold on the docks but has
since lost almost all of it, and now clutches his money bag tightly at his

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waist. He will do anything to ensure he is not parted from his money, even feigning great
illness and death if it means he will get sympathy or a reprieve from a debt.

Il Dottore, is an elderly counterpart to Magnifico. He is a great talker who

can waffle on for ages on any given subject, proclaiming himself expert
whether its medicine, astrophysics or sausages. He rarely makes any
sense and is actually a complete fool, as he spent his university days, at the
University of Bologna, eating and drinking copious amounts rather than
studying. Hence we have the phrase Youre talking a load of Bologni. His
speeches go on and on, and indubitably he is carried off the stage still
talking. Much comedy comes from the performance of absurd operations
and investigations on stage, generally involving Pantalone! His character is
based on the charlatans and quack doctors seen in the market places of Renaissance Italy.
They pedalled fake remedies and cure-alls to entranced crowds. His mask is just a quarter,
covering eyebrows, forehead and nose, allowing the actor to speak freely.

Il Capitano serves as another role model for the puffed up arrogance and
buffoonery of the upper class. This character type originates from Roman
comedies where the braggart soldier was a familiar comic buffoon. In
Commedia dellArte he is a foreigner and stranger in town who brings a
twist to the plot. He is an awful braggart who boasts of battles he has
fought and cities he has bravely conquered, alleging to be a great warrior,
though it is all fantasy. He is in fact a total coward and if the French did
actually invade, or if a mouse were to come into the room, he would run
away screaming like a girl and hide. He aims to impress and talk his way into
the houses of Pantalone and Il Dottore and often manages to fool them, only to be
metaphorically unmasked before the end of a play. Always chasing girls, he woos the
young noble ladies or the serving girl class of lady matters not to him - but he rarely wins
their affection.

Innamorati: The Lovers were inspired by the Renaissance aristocracy, the

new Borgeousie, who flounced around the courts and villas of Italy. They
were amateur performers who would entertain themselves by reciting
romantic scenes and poetry from the comic Roman plays. This type of
performance took place in private homes and became known as the
commedia erudite (intelligent comedy). These romantic speeches were
taken up by Commedia dellArte and when the Lovers appear, they will
often recite meaningful and profound poetry or prose talking of love.
These characters were unmasked, with the face whitened and the lips, cheeks and eyes
highlighted, wearing glamorous highly fashionable costumes. There are often four Lovers in
a scenario an older and younger pairing though both still only teenage. The older will be
serious about love and ready to die for each other, the younger are more fickle and foolish.

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Useful weblinks for further research

http://www.factionoffools.org/history - Faction of Fools Washington DC based company, true to the

original form with a very informed history page

http://www3.northern.edu/wild/th100/CHAPT13A.HTM - Q&A guide to Renaissance Italy

http://www.strangeface.co.uk - Strangeface are wonderful mask makers who have made many of the
masks I currently use.

http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/video/the-world-of-commedia

https://www.youtube.com/user/ntdiscovertheatre National Theatre Discover's YouTube channel presents

The World of Commedia: a collection of really useful videos led by Didi Hopkins

http://www.worldofcommedia.co.uk - Barry Grantham's website, author of Playing Commedia and

Commedia Plays

http://www.commediabyfava.it/home_inglese.htm - Antonio Fava's website - train with the true maestro

in Reggio Emilia, Italy

https://sites.google.com/site/italiancommedia/home - La Commedia dell'Arte - very useful for historical

research, characters, scenarios and lazzi

http://www.isebastiani.com/Scenarios.html - Source of a great number of scenarios to use as starting

points for devising and playing Commedia

http://digital.library.northwestern.edu/fava/ - North Western University library collection of Antonio

Fava's masks with useful history, photos and video links

http://www.delpiano.com/carnival/html/commedia.html - Roberto Delpiano's useful history of Commedia

http://www.its-behind-you.com/dailymail.html - It's Behind You - a history of Pantomime and the

Harlequinade

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/e/early-pantomime/ - V&A Museum's page on the history of

Pantomime

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/thats-the-way-to-do-it!-a-history-of-punch-and-judy/ - V&A
Museum also has a great article tracing the evolution of Pulchinella into Mr Punch the puppet

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PERFORMANCE TECHNIQUES for mask work

Pleasure

Pleasure is the key to mask work and is communicated through your eyes and your energy.
Your eyes need to sparkle out and be wide open inside the mask. A performer who takes
pleasure in playing every moment engages the audience fully and achieves stage presence.
Love being on stage, love playing the moment. When you stop loving it, your eyes glaze
over, the mask dies and the audience become aware that it is merely an actor wearing a
mask the illusion is destroyed and you die on stage. No matter what emotion you are
showing, your eyes must always smile and sparkle. If you are sad, enjoy being sad and take it
to the saddest expression you can muster - down turn your mouth, open your eyes wide,
sparkle and beg with your eyes for sympathy.

Complicit

The invisible bond between performers; the glue that holds the show together; the
relationship you have with the audience. Complicit is a three way focus 1) with the
character you are talking to 2) with the audience 3) with every other character in the cast,
whether on stage or off. Complicit is about trust and knowing that you are never alone on
stage, even if you are the only one in front of the curtain there is always a team member
ready to pick up a cue, or save you if you are floundering. Just like, there is always a friend in
the audience who you can rely on to laugh at your jokes and be pleased to see you on stage.

Energy & Concentration

These skills go hand in hand with complicit. Your energy has to begin before you enter the
stage. Ensure you are in character, focused and energised before your scene starts so that
you enter at high energy. The energy you enter with is the marker for the whole scene and it
its very hard to lift it up if you start too low also, if you come on with low energy you can
bring other performers down as well. Generally, as a rule, you cant enter with energy too
high!

Commedia moves fast and by nature is improvised so you need to be ready for anything to
happen: you could be called on unexpectedly by another character, as we are dealing with a
theatre of spontaneity and you need to be concentrating and able to hit that energy level
instantly. Once on stage, scenes can take different turns, lines may change, someone may
suddenly need you to back them up or say a line they have forgotten; you have to be
listening to every word and aware of every movement so that you know the rhythm of the
scene and you can enter in on the right beat.

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Fixed point

Too much movement loses audience interest in the mask. We need to see the features and
the eyes need to look at us in order to engage us. Fixed points are moments of absolute
stillness with your gaze glued to a fixed point; the moment is highlighted by an exaggerated
in or out breath which helps to grab the audiences attention. This freeze frame must be
energised with alive eyes. You will find that when you hold your breath, the audience do too
and this helps to build tension, anticipation and excitement. You will find that when you
release a deep, sighing out breath the audience will laugh, releasing tension, adding
comedy. See how long you can hold your breath to suspend the moment - the longer you
hold it, the bigger the laugh.

Pass the focus Major and Minor

Only one character will generally have the focus at any one time and you must know who
has it. A good mask performer is totally selfless: he/she loves being in Minor (giving the
focus to other performers on the stage) as much as they love being in Major (all other
performers give focus to you). Your moment will come and you are an ensemble do not try
to steal the show. If the focus is in two places, the audience will not know where to look and
you risk up-staging your co-performer. Pass the focus with an open body, open face, alive
eyes, pleasure and energy the energy you pass is the energy they will pick up. Pick up the
energy you are fed and build on it

The focus needs to pass clearly with an obvious, large head move, led from the nose. It
might be just a head turn or possibly a whole body. You must pass with pleasure and stay in
the moment: alive, energised, sparkling eyes, ready to take the focus at any moment.

Remember the game there is an invisible ball on stage every time you enter and you
must keep it in the air and bouncing between you and the other performers. You must know
where it is at all times keep alert! You are a team and you are all on the same side: the
perfect ensemble. If you miss a cue, if you do not pass the focus, if your voice trails off at the
end of your sentence the ball hits the ground and the game is lost.

Lead from your breath

Every mask has an amplified breath from where the voice and centre begin. Your whole
body needs to move with the breath. Finding the breath for the mask helps you to find the
body posture, attitude and voice. Joining your breathing pattern with another mask helps
you to find a rhythm together and also a complicit. Breathing in time with another mask on
stage will also help to engage the audience as you will find they breathe with you, especially
if you hold your breath a great way to build tension in the audience. Masks frequently use
asides to the audience (turning and talking to the audience directly). You can make a
comment without the need for words by simply breathing in or out in an exaggerated way
with an exaggerated facial and physical expression. Simplicity is key if you are not sure

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what to say, say it with an expressive in or out breath allowing your whole body to express
the breath.

Exaggerated Actions & Reactions

It is not only the act of breathing that needs to be amplified and exaggerated. Every
movement, action, reaction and emotion have to be amplified with mask characters what
may normally be a small gesture needs to be a large gesture; where your hands might
normally be in your pockets, your hands need to free and gesticulating or showing tension.
Every movement needs to be consciously considered as how and where you place your feet
will say as much about your character as the mask itself. Masks need to show the audience
how they feel through the lower jaw and every part of their bodies. Your feet and knees are
as expressive as your hands and back a collapsed, curved posture suggests sadness or
misery, whereas a protruding chest suggests confidence and a protruding bum and chest
together suggest bouncy, happiness. Knock knees and fast little steps suggest nervousness,
whereas high knees and bouncing feet on the toes suggest confidence and control.

However be careful when exaggerating that you are not moving all the time. Large, clear
gestures followed by a suspended moment: a fixed point, work best, allowing the audience
to take in the detail of the movement and postures; the movements work with the breath
again 1) as you take a breath in, you move or make a large gesture, 2) hold your breath
with alive eyes and an energised freeze: your fixed point, 3) then exhale and move again or
change to another pose/make another gesture.

Clocking the audience

There is no fourth wall in mask work; the audience are part of the action. Your eyes must
communicate with the audience i.e. you must look at them in their eyes and really look
take them in. The audience need you to look at them so that they can read your thoughts.
Never forget that you need to keep checking in with the audience as they are your markers
of success. You will only know if you are being funny by your audiences reactions.

Every audience will be different and you need to sense who is on your side. Find a secret
friend in the audience (the one who laughs or smiles at you first) and if no one else is
laughing or smiling, go back to them and they will start the smile that passes round the
audience. Dont be afraid to hold a look for an extended time with someone in the
audience. They will laugh eventually, and thats all you need sometimes to lift the energy in
a scene.

Centres

Every character has a clear centre: the place where their centre of balance is, the place from
which their breath and voice come, the place where the impetus for their movement starts
from, and the place where their brain is located. Zanni mostly have a low centre of gravity in

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their lower belly as they are animal like and close to the earth (they think about food every
few seconds). Capitano and the Lovers have a high centre in their chest, as their head is
bobbing in the clouds (the Lovers lead from their heart and think about love all the time).
Pantalone leads from his groin where his money bag is hung (sex and money are the only
things on his mind). Doctor leads from the belly as food is his main preoccupation.

Isolations

It is essential to have complete physical control in order to use your body effectively with
the mask. Being able to isolate movements in specific parts of your body enables you to
move in two directions at once e.g. your legs go one way, whilst your head and upper body
go the other. Mastering the skill of physical isolation enables you to create physical gags
(lazzi) with your body. Fixed points can involve your entire body and head freezing or just an
isolated part of your body freezing whilst the other parts keep moving:

The Lazzo of the very sticky toffee ... As Arlecchino is looking everywhere for the lost
toffee, his foot suddenly becomes stuck, as if glued to the spot. He doesnt realise it is
the toffee until the very end of this lazzo. The actor playing Arlecchino creates a fixed
point with his foot. Arlecchino can move the rest of his body and tries to move in
every possible direction around and away from the foot, tugging, peeling, until it is
suddenly released. He then peels the toffee of his foot and eats it (of course, the lazzi
could be extended to isolate his fingers stuck to the foot, then to his teeth).

Talk through the audience

It is natural to want to look at someone when you have a conversation, but resist the urge
when wearing a mask! With masks on, you do what is completely unnatural you look away
from the person and talk to them through the audience. The reason is that the mask lives
when we can read your eyes and can see your mouth fully. If both masks are looking at each
other, the audience are not sure where to look. In conversations, the one who is talking
looks to the audience and the listener looks at the talker, giving them the focus. When the
talker finishes, they pass the focus to the listener. It is vital to feel the rhythm of the
conversation and pick up on the beat building the energy that the last person passes you. It
is also essential that you are fully engaged at all times, actively listening and taking pleasure
in giving the focus to the other character.

(1) (2)

Hello! Hello!

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Vocal Projection

This can be very difficult in the mask as many masks restrict your upper lip and force your
jaw into uncomfortable positions. It is essential to work on deepening your breath and
training your voice to use the lower and more powerful resonating chambers i.e. your belly,
together with freeing your throat and training your voice to create open, rounded sounds.
Think of bringing the sound into the front of your face. For a character like Pantalone, a
nasal voice is far safer to use than a witch like rasping throat voice. Good practice for mask
voices is changing the shape of the mouth, e.g. jutting the top jaw or lower jaw; pulling your
lip over your upper teeth. Talking when your mouth is not in its normal state forces your
voice to change without damaging your vocal chords. Dont force a voice for the mask -
allow it to come organically from the posture and mask.

Trust in the moment

Spontaneous reactions offer potential for comedy and keep it fresh. Every audience will
feed you differently and you need to be flexible enough to go with a new idea. You dont
have to do the same thing for every performance, even if you are working from a script if
you are bored of it, the audience will be too. Try not to come on with an idea for a joke to
try out though it is very likely to be funnier in your head that it is in reality. If you get a
laugh, capitalise on it repeat what you just did that got the laugh with a clear fixed point at
the end. Hold the fixed point, if you get a laugh, do whatever you did again only bigger. If
you dont get a laugh where you thought you might, dont despair, move on and try the next
gag.

Entrances

Look to the audience straight away, before you move anywhere. Always enter with energy.
The look must immediately tell the audience what mood you are in so your eyes, mouth,
whole body, hands and feet must all express the emotion. Even if you are entering whilst
reading a letter, there must be a momentary look to the audience with an in or an out
breath to provide a commentary on your mood.

Three point exits

Always give the audience a last look or comment before you leave the stage. As you leave,
keep looking to the audience or stay in profile as much as possible your aim is to never let
them see the back of your head.

(See the diagram on the next page) Aim for a point slightly wide of the curtain (1), then turn
to the audience and give an expression with your whole body, voice and mouth that says
how you feel (2), then exit behind the curtain body first, leaving your face to the audience
until the last moment, and maintain your characterisation until well off stage (3).

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3 2

Smile!

Smiling is contagious. If your audience are not responding, its possibly because you are not
in the moment and conveying pleasure. Endear yourself to them, make eye contact and
smile your biggest smile or give your most pleading, heartbreaking, down-turned sad
expression (depending on what your character wants them to acknowledge). Give them
puppy dog eyes, bat your eye lids and I guarantee one will break a smile, then the next will
smile and so on and so forth. If your audience are doing the same expressions as you on
stage, then you know you are engaging and giving pleasure!

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 Introduction to Commedia dellArte Resource Pack

Lazzi
Plural of Lazzo, these are non-improvised comic scenes or actions which typically do not
move the plot forward. This can be a dance, a song, a flight of fancy, or other physical comic
action. In any case, it must be a crowd pleaser.

1. Arlecchino eats a fly. Tries to catch it with his slapstick, he thinks he kills it, he eats it, it
starts buzzing inside him, we see it pass through every part of his body as the buzz
creates a vibration that moves every time he tries to catch it. Eventually, it comes back
up, out of his mouth and it flies away.

2. Arlecchino's Food Fantasy Lazzi Arlecchino is distracted by his hunger.... His stomach
rumbles... it starts to hurt... without moving his feet, he looks around for food...looks
everywhere ... he finds none... disappointment... he closes his eyes... he dreams.... he
pictures a bowl of food... a huge bowl of food... no bigger...HUGE... sticks his finger in
and tastes it ... whole hand ...two hands...lifts bowl and pours into mouth ... every last
drop... licks bowl... licks hands, face ... satisfaction.

3. Two Zanni divide a coin. One zanni enters and sees a coin. He goes to get it just as
another zanni enters who also sees the coin. They both want it and decide they could
share it, but dont know how. They fight over who takes the coin and then try various
comical and highly physical ways of dividing the coin in half.

4. Arlecchino falls in love with himself. Imagining what it would be like to get some magic
Love Oil from Doctor, Arlecchino describes how hell apply it to himself to make
Columbina fall in love with him but in imagining this, he starts to fall in love with parts of
his body.

Meccanismi
Plural of meccanismo, these are rehearsed, comical physical sequences for two or more
characters that the actors will all know and can go into if one is initiated by someone in the
cast.

Three Zannis try not sleep. Three zanni are sweeping the stage. They find a rhythm between
them. The sweeping becomes like a dance. They get tired from sweeping and start to get
sleepy, but keep recalling Pantalones words this room must be so clean I can see my face
in the floor. Trying desperately to stay awake, they try to sweep, but keep nodding off until
eventually they all fall asleep.

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Scenarios
A Handsome Chap
Truffaldino & Smeraldina

1. Truffaldino tells Smeraldina that he knows of a handsome chap who thinks shes
gorgeous
2. Smeraldina asks him to tell her more about this man
3. Truffaldino describes his handsome looks. Smeraldina entranced, imagines him in front
of her
4. Smeraldina wants to know how she can find him
5. Truffaldino says he can get him now and exits. He re-enters and strikes a pose. Pauses.
Exits. Re-enters again. Did you see him?
6. Smeraldina looks all around and is confused and says she only saw him. Truffaldino looks
coy and shy with a smile.
7. Smeraldina laughs at him and exits clearly not interested.
8. Truffaldino exits looking very hurt and sad.

The Robbery
Pantalone, Pulchinella & Arlecchino

Pulchinella is planning a robbery of Pantalones house

1. Pulchinella enters. He tells the audience hes just heard that Pantalone has won lots of
money
2. Enter Arlecchino, hungry, searching for food. Pulchinella tells him he is hungry as
Pantalone has not paid him for the work he did this week. Together, they make a plan to
rob Pantalone of his newly won money.
3. The two zanni exit one side and Pantalone enters carrying a sack of money. He tells the
audience about his winnings and that he needs to keep the money safe. Pantalone holds
the bag on his lap and sits in a chair but soon falls asleep - snoring loudly
4. The two zanni creep on and try to steal the money. Pantalone keeps stirring and the two
zanni keep very still in these moments
5. Pantalone wakes suddenly. The zanni instantly disguise themselves as objects in the
room. Pantalone goes back to sleep
6. The zanni get very close to getting the money but just as they start to pull the money out
from Pantalones arms, Pantalone awakes and shouts Thief!!
7. The zanni turn and flee, with Pantalone chases after, waving his fists, still shouting
Thief, thief!!

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The Poisoned Chocolates

Pantalone, Brighella, Arlecchino and Zan Dello

1. Pantalone and Brighella enter. Brighella tells Pantalone he cannot trust the servants.
Pantalone plans to test their trustworthiness with a task. He gets Brighella to call for
Arlecchino and Zan Dello and to bring a box of chocolates.
2. Pantalone asks the servants to take a very expensive and delicious box of chocolates to
the Signora, his fiancee, warning them not to eat them. The servants nod and agree
enthusiastically.
3. Pantalone sends Brighella to follow them secretly.
4. Arlecchino and Zan Dello are on their way to the Signoras and absent-mindedly start to
eat the chocolates. Brighella secretly watches. Suddenly they realise what theyve done
and know they will be in for a beating for sure. What to do? They run off
5. Pantalone and Brighella enter. Brighella tells what he has seen. Pantalone is delighted
that the plan worked.
6. Arlecchino and Zan Dello enter. Brighella tells them to own up to Pantalone. Arlecchino
claims they have delivered the chocolates. Zan Dello looks confused.
7. Pantalone is pleased and proceeds to tell them that the chocolates were poisoned and
thanks them for helping him to poison the Signora who has been cuckolding him!
He then gleefully tells them of the three terrible symptoms the lady will suffer as she
eats the chocolates. Of course, they experience each of these symptoms until they
believe they are dead. Pantalone exits laughing
8. Brighella kicks Arlecchino who jumps to his feet and realising he is alive, he wakes Zan
Dello and the pair do a celebratory dance!
9. Brighella tells them they are fired and exits. Arlecchino and Zan Dello exit sobbing and
blaming each other.

Cheryl has also produced an extended teaching resource: An Illustrated Guide to the
Movement of the Commedia dellArte. This guide provides further details on the movement
and behaviours of the characters with illustrations to guide the teacher and student through
the movement repertoires. This guide is available to purchase from the website. An
educational licence can be requested for educational duplication and dissemination of the
guide.

http://www.learningthroughtheatre.co.uk/an-illustrated-guide-to-the-movement-of-the-commedia-dellarte/

If you would like any further information or to book a future workshop, please contact me:
cheryl@learningthroughtheatre.co.uk

Tel: 07932 067585

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