Category Archives: 2 Vulgar Comedy

Posted on 2021-10-13 by Micke Klingvall

Goldoni and the end of an era (Part 4)

It is from this Von-oben-perspective, which we discussed in PART 3 that the bourgeois once again met with the old culture of laughter and vulgar comedy, sometime in the middle of the nineteenth century.  It was naturally still alive and … Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted on 2021-09-08 by Micke Klingvall

Women in Commedia dell’Arte (Part 2)

There are a couple of ways to let women wear masks in Commedia dell’Arte even though it is not conventional. Many of the masks are more or less gender neutral, especially in a modern context, such as Arlecchino or Zanni. … Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted on 2021-09-01 by Micke Klingvall

Women in Commedia dell’Arte (Part 1)

We have to start with admitting that Commedia dell’Arte was a very masculine form of theatre, at least if we see it from today’s perspective. It sprung out in a time when women, in the greater parts of Italy, just … Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted on 2021-05-26 by Micke Klingvall

A tribute to life

“It [Commedia dell’Arte] owed everything to the actor, very little to drama or literature. It trained its own players, created its own conditions, travelled with its own costumes and properties, sometimes with portable stage.”                        From “The Theatre – a Concise … Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted on 2021-04-21 by Micke Klingvall

Commedia dell’Arte masks design, materials and costume

The masks in Commedia dell’Arte are, unlike Greek, Balinese or Japanese masks for instance, always half masks. They are not bigger than that they cover just the upper part of the face. They are not big enough to manifest themselves … Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted on 2021-03-16 by Micke Klingvall

Goldoni and the end of an era (Part 3)

During the end of the eighteenth century, when the bourgeois comedy had been well established and taken over the theatre scene, Commedia dell’Arte and the vulgar laughter started to be looked at as something quaint and exotic. As new middle-class … Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted on 2021-02-18 by Micke Klingvall

Kalabalik

Here is a video of ”Kalabalik” the student show in Commedia dell’Arte from the spring of 2021 that I directed. (I am sorry for the bad fitting to the frame) See also:Det allra löjligaste (The Most Ridiculous)Sex fiaskon och in … Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted on 2021-02-04 by Micke Klingvall

The Mask from animal to human

When we use the word mask here we talk about two things – the mask tools itself and the characters and roles of Commedia dell’Arte. The later goes also for the characters that don’t wear a mask since they move … Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted on 2020-12-09 by Micke Klingvall

The Street as Venue (Part 2)

When it comes to Commedia dell’Arte and other masked theatre that are using entrées and sorties we need a backdrop. We don’t want the actors to vanish away in a distance. Since it is easy for the wind to make … Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted on 2020-12-02 by Micke Klingvall

The Street as Venue

Vulgar Comedy has its roots as street theatre, or at least outdoor theatre. Long before the Greeks began building theatres for their dithyrambs and plays there where Thespis and his cart. One can still trace much of business onstage to … Read the rest of this entry →

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