History of Commedia Dell'Arte
Commedia Dell’arte was a popular form of street theatre that came out of Venice centuries ago. The title, Commedia dell'arte ("Comedy of Art" or "Comedy of the profession"), means unwritten or improvised drama and is more about the manner or the ‘how’ of performance rather than the subject matter of the play. The dialogue was like a fast-paced game of ball or a spirited sword-play that flowed with ease and had no pause and it had audiences entranced.
Although many sources state that this art form began in the 1600s, it actually started in the 14th century but became really well known and practiced in the 16th and 17th centuries. Although the comedy was said to be “improvised” it certainly didn’t happen within a moments inspiration, it actually took planning and forethought. In actual practice, when a play was put on, the subject would have been chosen, the characters would have been thought out, their relationships to one another would have been determined and the situations would have been very clearly outlined beforehand.
The general outline was called a scenario or a canvas and once it was filled out there were opportunities left for the skilled actors to vary and play on their parts. Clever actors could call forth their wit and histrionics and this surprised the medieval audiences, as they had never seen anything like it before. The smoothness and constant surprise also made it very popular, as the actors managed to find the proper words to make the tears flow or the laughter ring.
The material of the play was clearly divided into acts and scenes and there was always a prologue. For something that was supposedly improvised, there was a lot of work put into making the situations clear and the every turn f action and the outcome of each scene was determined carefully. The actors were required to seriously study their parts and take pride in their achievements. The best of the actors stamped their parts with individually, freshness and brilliance, these comedians changed the standards of acting forever. The Commeddia dell’arte was the art form that introduced the professional actor into Europe.
Although many sources state that this art form began in the 1600s, it actually started in the 14th century but became really well known and practiced in the 16th and 17th centuries. Although the comedy was said to be “improvised” it certainly didn’t happen within a moments inspiration, it actually took planning and forethought. In actual practice, when a play was put on, the subject would have been chosen, the characters would have been thought out, their relationships to one another would have been determined and the situations would have been very clearly outlined beforehand.
The general outline was called a scenario or a canvas and once it was filled out there were opportunities left for the skilled actors to vary and play on their parts. Clever actors could call forth their wit and histrionics and this surprised the medieval audiences, as they had never seen anything like it before. The smoothness and constant surprise also made it very popular, as the actors managed to find the proper words to make the tears flow or the laughter ring.
The material of the play was clearly divided into acts and scenes and there was always a prologue. For something that was supposedly improvised, there was a lot of work put into making the situations clear and the every turn f action and the outcome of each scene was determined carefully. The actors were required to seriously study their parts and take pride in their achievements. The best of the actors stamped their parts with individually, freshness and brilliance, these comedians changed the standards of acting forever. The Commeddia dell’arte was the art form that introduced the professional actor into Europe.