18
Commedia Dell’Arte
Imagine the joy and love of theatre in an auditorium full of elementary kids as they sit cross-legged on the floor howling with laughter watching your touring show! Nothing delights both the young and the young-at-heart quite like the physical humor and witty banter of commedia dell’arte. Because everything needed for these productions — costumes, props and set pieces — fits into a single wagon or prop trunk, these delightfully entertaining shows are perfect for touring or for extremely small playing areas.
Commedia dell’arte, Italian for “comedy of art,” was a popular form of improvisational theatre that began in Italy in the 15th century and continued in its appeal for centuries. At that time, all performances were unscripted and held outdoors, with only simple props and no scenery. The lasting influence of commedia dell’arte is still evident in contemporary comedy, most notably in the great commedia artists of the 20th century, the Marx Brothers, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.
Commedia dell’arte performances derive much humor from the use of stock characters and exaggerated physical comedy. Each character has recognizable characteristics — from their costume to their physical antics to their dialogue — that they bring to the stories they perform. The various talents of the actors — acrobatics, dance, music and quick wit — combine to make the plays as entertaining and relevant today as they were in Renaissance Europe.
When presented today, the commedia players — such as Arlequin, Punchin, Rosetta, Pantalone, Scaramouch and Columbine — are portrayed as poor travelers who have made all their props from objects they’ve found. Their costumes, with the commedia diamond pattern always evident, are partly handmade and partly inherited from wealthier people who either tired of that fashion or thought better of it. The magic of theatre materializes right in front of the audience’s eyes, as these actors build the show onstage from scratch, producing scenery and props from their decorated trunk and creating all the characters that breathe new life and energy into classic tales.
Pioneer Drama Service is proud to carry nine commedia dell’arte adaptations by the renowned, award-winning, children's playwright, Lane Riosley. These plays have been widely produced by both amateur and professional theatres including The Taradiddle Players, The Actor's Company of Burbank, The Little Top Theatre Company, The West Coast Ensemble, The Texas Renaissance Festival, EarlyStages of Houston, Stages Repertory Theatre, The Merry Go Round Theatre, Children’s Theatre of Charlotte and the Asolo Theatre. Pioneer Drama also carries two commedia plays with larger casts — Arlecchino and the City of Love and Cinderella with the Commedia Players. You’ll even find the basis of commedia dell’arte in our fun, award-winning full-length original comedy Château La Roach, written by Lauren Wilson, former playwright-in-residence at Dell’Arte International.
Check out the following links for more information about commedia dell’arte.
- History of commedia dell’arte
- Character analysis:
- Study guide
The Commedia Pinocchio
The Pinocchio story told here by Columbine, Arlequin, Punchin, Rosetta and Pantalone follows the events of the original Collodi tale, which is more worldly than later adaptations.
The Commedia Voyages of Sinbad
All aboard for exciting sea‑faring adventures as the commedia troupe guides us through a creative version of the seven voyages of Sinbad the Sailor with patter verse, tumbling, and clowning!
The Commedia Puss in Boots
The players embellish the classic story with their own form of magic. There’s a laundry list of laughs, especially when Puss in Boots duels the great laundry giant!
The Commedia Cinderella
The players love the story of Cinderella so much they try to improve upon it whenever possible.
