What have I really gained from this module?

As this comedy module draws to a close I have really surprised myself by what I feel I have gained from it as an actor. It may not be my personal favourite style of performance but it has really opened my eyes to something different and helped me to address the problems I have on stage which a less exposed style of acting would mask. With Commedia dell'Arte, despite being beneath a mask, it is incredibly hard to hide yourself. And surely that is what good acting should be all about-revealing oneself.

Therefore I take away from this term a greater confidence, the ability to communicate better with an audience and a heightened awareness of what really makes an audience laugh.

I feel this quote actually sums up the intention of Commedia dell'Arte really well:

"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. " ~Victor Borge

It was there all along!

Without even always realising it, Commedia dell’Arte has helped paint the journey of European theatre for nearly six hundred years and its ethos of honest and simple acting is what I feel is at the forefront of our actor training at Bath Spa University. I have come to see that I have not just touched upon it now whilst studying Goldoni, but as Craig wrote “in the Commedia dell’Arte the Italians of the late 16th century gave to future generations a hint as to the possibilities of the Art of the Theatre.” The masters of commedia have helped to direct my learning journey.

LA FAME DELLO ZANNI

"With comedy I can search for the profound"- Dario Fo

I have realised that the most obvious way in which we have encountered commedia was through our work with Dario Fo's sartirical farce in first year. He epitomises modern interpretation of commedia d'ell arte with his unique brand of passionate yet political performance. Physically engaging and vocally bizarre with the language of grammelot, Fo created vibrant characters against the most simplest of backdrops. I feel he has brought commedia into the 20th century (and for us beyond).

Grotowski Movement Project

Twentieth Century Actor Training

My research has led me to see just how the twentieth century practitioners which we take so much from were influenced by and brought life again to the traditions of commedia d'ell arte. Meyerhold, Grotowski, Craig, Lecoq and Copeau all reference particularly the physical discipline that this craft demanded.

I attach below a video of a student workshop based on exercises by Grotowski. His belief that 'poor man's theatre' was the way forward, and like with commedia, the focus should be on physically alive performers and their relationship to their audience. We look to strip away the necessity for elaborate set, staging, costume etc and simply be entertaining enough, purely through our own conviction and performance.

Is Commedia dead?

Patrick Welsh steps forward and announces the focus of this term's module: Commedia
A hushed groan passes through the room. This is surely something which we would never be able to relate to? A dead art form of bizarre masks and awkward stances to be learnt and inevitably despised.

This got me thinking though. As with any aspect of our course, each is chosen with specific importance to our actor training. Commedia would be (however hard I was finding it to grasp) infinitely relevant to our learning journey. Could it be that these traditions were not outdated but very much present.

In what way do we find the traditions of Commedia D’ell Arte in our modern actor training?