Introduction to Theatre

Renaissance Theatre

The rediscovery of many Roman artifacts and writings help fuel the reinvention of the theatre.

Proscenium stages were built as classic revival spaces based on Roman structures and Roman research.  (a.k.a.  Horace’s works)

The depth and

           masking of the stage helped to utilize the re-discovery of

                                                            perspective and it's use in painted stage

                                                                       scenery for these new neoclassical spaces.

                                                                                                                (Raked stages.)

The Tragedies of the roman playwright Seneca were the source of the new ideals in theatre and

from his work the Neoclassical Ideals are formed.

Neoclassical Ideals

Verisimilitude = Realistic (no fantasy or magic)

Decorum = Class behavior met

        Purity of Genres = Either one or the other, no mixing.

Three Unities = Time, Place, Action

       Acts

Teach and Entertain

At the same time in Italy street performers began playing around with improvisational story lines,

using many of the stock character types founded in Roman stock comedy characters.

Often these

improvisations would touch on political and sometimes anti establishment ideas.

The wearing of masks

not only protected the actors identity but also helped the audiences to quickly and easily identify

the character type being portrayed with little need for introduction and exposition. The costumes these stock characters wore also were identifiers of what type of stock character each actor portrayed.  The first use of women actors was a cause for much of the interest and disdain for the rogue companies that eventually came to represent Italy’s fine arts legacy.

These actors

became known as Commedia Dell Arte.

Commedia dell Arte Characters:

Pantalone ( Big Money )

                                (One of the Masters)

          Has money.  Is a penny pincher.  Dresses young and chases women.  Is married to a woman much younger than him.  Tries to cheat on her but no other women will have him.  Thinks he is hip and cool.  Is a dirty, old man.  Hunched over permanently.  Has a hooked nose.  Wears red pants (too tight), a red vest (too tight) and a long black coat (too big).  Carries a hanky to dab his running, old man nose and his watery old man eyes.  Wears bling and carries big bills to impress the ladies.

Arlecchino ( Wiley Trickster)

 (Harlequin)

 (One of the Servants, Sometimes the head Servant)

        Thinks he is master of disguise, in reality the disguises are lame and easily seen through.  Walks in a zig zag.  Leaps and whirls.  Thinks he is cat like.  Talks like a parrot.  Wears brightly colored alternating diamonds. Very loyal to his master.  Very high spirited.  Amoral but never vicious.   Wears tight clothes.  Is physically fit.  Cross dresses when needed to pull off some scheme or prank.  Closest to the idea of the old Roman mimes.  Is very respectful acting around Masters, keeps eyes and head down, stoops to make self smaller.  But will bound away and up into the air the moment no Master is looking.  Alternates between graceful and floppy clumsy movements.

The Dottore  ( Professor  Wide Sides)

                                   (One of the Masters)

          He has always been wealthy, family monies.  Says he went to the best universities.  Says he is a doctor and lawyer.  In reality knows nothing and says big words all wrong, sometimes even saying a similar sounding word instead, and never admitting he is wrong.  Is fat.  Drinks a lot.  Hates women.  Hates young people.  Loves to go on an on and on about topics he knows nothing about.  Pretends to know Latin, Chinese, Italian, Arabian, ect…and will try to talk in these languages, but really knows nothing.  Wears black robes like a scholar.  Corrects other people constantly, and incorrectly.  Breaks up young couples in any way he can.  Loves the sound of his own voice.

The Capitano  (Captian General Leader Sir)

                                      (Is one of the Masters)

          A liar who constantly boasts of his great victories in battle and conquests in war.  Wears a huge feather in his hat.  Has a teeny mustache.  Wears a big brightly colored cape.  Wears a huge sword.  Wears all his medals (who knows where he got them) all the time.  Always has a story about how he solved such and such problem everyone is talking about with his skills at war and battle.  Talks in a very deep manly voice.  Is secretly afraid of everything, especially women.           

Scaramouche  (Lovable Thief)

                                      (Is one of the Servants)

Thief, Musician, Robin Hood type Antihero.

Pulcinella  (Lovable side kick)

                                     (Is one of the Servants)

Innocent and Naive,  In some way Challenged, Pure.

Brighella ( Get it Done )  (Assassin Thief)

                  (One of the Servants)

          An opportunist that will be loyal to who ever pays him the most.  But is very sentimental about love, so never hurts the young lovers.)  Wears white with green trim.  Always has a big dagger and plays with it.  Shoplifts.  Has a neatly trimmed thin beard and mustache.  He is shifty.  He has a lot of nervous energy. If he thinks he can make a buck at pretending to be something he is not, he will totally do it.  Sneaks around.  Walks on his toes.  Gives good advice to the young lovers about love.  His only love, though, is money.

Columbina  (Hello Nurse)

                              (Naughty Nanny)

                                                (Dirty Maid)

                              (One of the Servants)

          Always wears a small apron.  Loves sex with men.  Loves to seduce men.  Has big breasts.  Low costume neckline.  Loves to sing and dance and be merry.  Often carries a basket.  Stands leaning back in hips like a model.  Rubs up against and wraps leg around males she is interacting with, particular Masters.  Is in love with Arlecchino.  Wants him to be a better person.  Is a good servant.  Has a high pitch breathy voice.  She leads with her chest.  She is the Playwrights Voice.  She finishes sentences of others.  She gossips.  She helps to set all things right.

Zanni  (The servant, clown characters)
Innamorati (The young lovers, no masks)
La Servetta  (The playwright's voice, in the case of improvisations, the most informed yet in the background character.)

Links:

Brief overviews of Commedia Dell Arte

http://shane-arts.com/commedia-history.htm

http://www.delpiano.com/carnival/html/commedia.html

Vocabulary

Patrons – Noblemen who vouched for theatre troops.

Neoclassical Ideals – A list of rules created from Roman research that supposedly created “real” theatre.

Cardinal Richelieu – A French churchman who was responsible for the creation of proscenium arches and democratic seating in France.

Proscenium Arch – The rectangular frame that masked the edges of single point perspective scenery.

Apron-A less than 6 foot deep area in front of the Proscenium Arch.

Spectacle Shows – Shows that did not have actors, just scenery moving with gears and ropes.

Perspective – The visual art of making objects look smaller the farther away they appear to be.

Secular Drama – Non liturgical drama.

Raked Stage – A stage that rises in height as it recedes from the audience.

Commedia dell Arte – An anonymous group of actors that perform secular drama on the streets with masks to hide their identity.

Stock Characters – Easily identified character types.

Lazzi – Italian jokes, mostly physical.

Zanni-  Commedia del Arte clown characters.

Innamorati – Commedial del Arte lover characters.

Improvisation – Creating actions and dialogue that are non scripted.

Puppet Shows  - Using representations of humans in a play or improvisation.

Democratic Seating – In the new French theatres during the height of the Renaissance democratic seating was 

introduced where all classes could sit together and all tickets where the same price.