Tag Archives: Zanni

Posted on 2016-03-03 by Micke Klingvall

What we really know about Commedia dell’Arte (Part 1)

No one can say what a Commedia dell’Arte show really looked like in the renaissance. Neither do we know about the relations between the actors and the rest of the population or what is myth and what is true in … Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted on 2016-02-26 by Micke Klingvall

Prolog or opening in Commedia dell’Arte

The introduction to a Commedia dell’Arte show in very important. It does not only have to present the different masks so that a modern audience will know them at an early stage in the show, it must also introduce the … Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted on 2016-02-23 by Micke Klingvall

Lazzo in Commedia dell’Arte

This might be the most known term in Commedia dell’Arte, though it is hardly known at all to those who are not involved in Commedia dell’Arte. It is not used anywhere else, but very often used in Commedia dell’Arte. What … Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted on 2016-02-22 by Micke Klingvall

Canovaccio in Commedia dell’Arte

If we go back to the heydays of Commedia dell’Arte the concept of canovaccio becomes more complicated. It was used both as a full scenario or just a plotline in a scenario. The word means “what’s on the canvas”. But … Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted on 2016-02-18 by Micke Klingvall

The scenario in Commedia dell’Arte (Part 2)

The scenes in a scenario changes as a new mask enters the stage, but not when a mask leaves the stage. Let’s call this Italian scene division in contrast to French scene division, where they change scenes in both entries … Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted on 2016-02-15 by Micke Klingvall

The scenario in Commedia dell’Arte (Part 1)

The word scenario comes from the Greek word “skene” and means stage. It is not used in the early days of Commedia dell’Arte. Instead words as centone, soggetto or just commedia as well as canovaccio that has its own post. … Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted on 2016-02-11 by Micke Klingvall

Parody in Commedia dell’Arte

A common convention in Commedia dell’Arte, with very old ancestries, is the habit of mock and parody other groups and colleagues. This tradition goes back to the times when several groups were performing from their carts and wagons at the … Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted on 2016-02-04 by Micke Klingvall

Hierarchies and status play in Commedia dell’Arte

Commedia dell’Arte also built on the play with status. It is the old master/servant relation, where Pantalone and Dottore are the highest ranked and the zanni the lowest. In between them is Capitano who represents the military power, is an … Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted on 2016-01-28 by Micke Klingvall

Frenzy in Commedia dell’Arte

When we talk about frenzy it has much to do with the organization of a canovaccio. We can build a canovaccio where the energy itself plays the main part. Surprise after surprise until the frenzy reaches its peak. This is … Read the rest of this entry →

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Posted on 2016-01-25 by Micke Klingvall

Transformations in Commedia dell’Arte

The usual use of this element in Commedia dell’Arte is either magic or disguises. We can find its origins in the Carnival’s and the May feast’s death and resurrection or in the Feast of Fools with its mutability and chaos, … Read the rest of this entry →

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