Commedia dell’arte

Commedia dell’arte was an Italian theatrical tradition flourishing from the 16th through 18th centuries, built around masked stock characters, improvised dialogue, and comic scenarios.

Zanni: Zanni are comic servant characters in commedia dell’arte, often scheming, hungry, and physically agile. These servant roles supply much of the tradition’s mischief and slapstick.
Commedia dell’arte scenario: A commedia dell’arte scenario is a plot outline that specifies entrances, exits, and events without fully written dialogue. Scenarios coordinated improvisation without prescribing every line.
Gelosi troupe: The Gelosi were a prominent Italian commedia dell’arte company active in the late 16th century. Their touring performances helped establish the tradition’s reputation beyond Italy.
Molière: Molière was a 17th-century French playwright and actor known for comedies of character and social satire. His theatre drew on Italian comic performance while adapting it to French comedy.
Commedia erudita: Commedia erudita is learned Italian comedy of the Renaissance, composed as literary plays in imitation of classical drama. Its written texts contrast with commedia dell’arte’s scenario-based improvisation.
Arlecchino: Arlecchino is a nimble, mischievous servant character, traditionally identified by a black half-mask and patchwork costume. He became one of the most recognizable masked servants in the tradition.
Improvisational theatre: Improvisational theatre is performance created partly or wholly without a fully scripted text. Commedia dell’arte is a historically influential form of improvisational theatre.
Francesco Andreini: Francesco Andreini was an Italian actor and playwright associated with the Gelosi troupe. His performances and writings document the craft of a leading commedia actor.
Carlo Goldoni: Carlo Goldoni was an 18th-century Italian playwright who helped reform Italian comedy through written plays. His reforms replaced much improvisation with scripted dialogue while retaining familiar character types.
Neoclassical theatre: Neoclassical theatre follows dramatic ideals drawn from ancient Greek and Roman models, including formal rules of plot and decorum. Its literary rules differ from the tradition’s flexible scenarios and physical performance.

Linked from 79 pages