LibGuides: Dance / Drama: Commedia dell'Arte

Video: Commedia dell'Arte: A Historical Overview

A short film giving an overview of the history of Commedia dell'Arte. In this film Didi Hopkins from commediaworks describes the influence of commedia dell'arte on modern theatre and other dramatic formats such as film and television.

Duration: 2:19

Video: The World of Commedia dell'Arte

This film is an introduction to the world of Commedia dell'Arte. Learn about all of the stock characters in Commedia, the masked and the unmasked, their status, their physical shapes and their characters.

Duration: 9:21

Slideshow: Commedia Dell'Arte: A Crash Course

Books available in the NCC

Commedia dell'Arte: An Actor's Handbook by John Rudlin
ISBN: 9780415047708
An account of Commedia dell'Arte's origins as a popular theatrical form, plus a practical, step-by-step guide to using Commedia techniques in performance. The text provides sample monologues and explains each stock character's "type" in turn.
The Theatre: A Concise History (Chapter 3: The Theatre of the Italian Renaissance) by Phyllis Hartnoll; Enoch Brater
ISBN: 9780500204092
Acting, direction, stagecraft, theatre architecture and design, the extraordinary evolution of dramatic literature--here is an all-embracing and richly illustrated history, worldwide in scope and ranging from the ancient origins of the theatre in the choral hymns sung around the altar of Dionysus to the endless variety of forms that theatre takes in our own day. With its wealth of illustrations and up-to-date reference material, this is an indispensable book for all theatre-goers.

Useful Commedia dell'Arte links

Create a Commedia Dell'Arte character
Tips on making your own Commedia character and playscript.
What is Commedia dell’Arte?
This guide is written by the Faction of Fools theatre company. It explores the history of Commedia, stating that the first documented actress in history, Vincenza Armani, played a lover in a Commedia play.
What You Need to Know About Commedia dell'Arte
A great overview of the different components of Commedia dell'Arte, such as props, characters, costumes and music.
TV Tropes: Commedia dell'Arte
This page lists a variety of TV shows, films, books and other types of media which have been influenced by Commedia dell'Arte.

Video: Fa-fa-fa-fire! - Fawlty Towers - BBC

Use the above example from the 1970s British sitcom Fawlty Towers to compare physicalisation of Zanni and Brighella, and identify the differences between each of the characters featured in this clip.

Duration: 2:04