Part Two - Commedia Dell'Arte - Activities

Activity 1: Opening Discussion and Warm-up Game “Keeper of the Keys”

• Ask the students what they know about slapstick comedy.
• Does anyone know why it is called slapstick? The following warm up game will explain the original meaning behind the term.
• One player, the “Keeper of the Keys” is given the rolled up newspaper as his weapon. The Keeper is blindfolded in the centre of the circle, seated on a chair guarding the keys set on the floor directly in front of the chair. Other players try to sneak up and steal the keys. The Keeper tries to fend them off by flailing with the rolled up newspaper. (The rolled up newspaper represents the slapstick).

 

Activity 2: Introduction of Commedia Dell’Arte

• Introduce students to three famous characters from the Commedia: Arlecchino, Pantalone and Columbina.  Write on the board or on chart paper:
   
  • Arlecchino is a servant with high energy. Plays jokes on his master. Usually needs money and does not think very far ahead. He guards his slapstick (two sticks tied together).
     
  • Pantalone is rich and retired, mean and miserly. He is usually old and sick, wealthy but greedy and loves to count his money.
     
  • Columbina is a perky and good hearted maid servant. Arlecchino is fond of her. She works hard but is often not well treated by Pantalone.

 

Activity 3:  Character Walk

• Volunteer students put on the half masks for this work.  
• Practice some silly walks for each character. Instructions: Walk as the jokester Arlecchino. Show fun in your walk. Walk as Pantalone, a wealthy mean miser. Show suspicion as you look carefully at everything. Count your money. Skip as Columbina. Show energy and purpose in your step.
• Give students various scenarios for their walks: Walk as though you have a secret. As if you just won a million dollars. As if you are afraid of those around you. As if you have just lost something precious. Choose another person in the room and try to learn his or her walk.

 

 

Activity 4:  Role-Playing as Servant and Master

• Everyone works in pairs and assigns roles A and B; all students improvise at the same time. The game only takes about 30 seconds.
  • A is the Master Pantalone
  • B is Arlecchino, his servant
• The master orders the servant to do all sorts of jobs for him as quickly as possible. Before the servant can finish one thing, the master is ordering him to do another: “clean my house” “polish my boots” or “make my dinner” etc.
• Switch roles. Ask student volunteers to present their roleplaying scene to the class. Discuss the term status. What does it mean to have high status or low status?  How can status be portrayed physically (i.e. through use of levels, etc.)

 

Activity 5: Scenario for 3 Players: “Arlecchino Outwits his Master”

• The characters in this scenario:
   
  • A is the Master Pantalone
  • B is Arlecchino, his servant 
  • C is Columbina, the maidservant
• Players for Arlecchino could wear half masks and players for Pantalone could wear fake beards if they are available.
• Give students the following scenario on the blackboard or on cue cards. Emphasize the idea that the power shifts from the master to the servant; remind students to show status in their interactions.

The scenario:

 Arlecchino finds he needs to “borrow “some money to buy Columbina some flowers for her birthday. Pantalone comes home and starts to count his money and realizes that there is some missing. He accuses Arlecchino of stealing his money. Arlecchino makes up a lie and tells him that he did not give Columbina the right amount of money for the groceries. Arlecchino also tells Pantalone that the neighbour wants to hire Columbina as his maid because Panalone is too cheap to pay her enough. Pantalone believes him. Arlecchino also tells him that he missed Columbina’s birthday and tells such a tale of woe that Pantalone feels very guilty. Arlecchino suggests that Pantalone should cook dinner for both Columbina and Arlecchino. Pantalone is afraid Columbina will leave and feels so guilty that he agrees even though he has never cooked a meal in his life.

• Assign groups a dramatic form to use for their scenarios: one group will present in Tableaux, one in Mime and one in an Improvised Scene with Dialogue.   For the Tableaux and Mime scenes, add music to give momentum to the speed of the action.
• Give students time to prepare scenarios. Share scenarios with the class and ask students to watch closely for “look-fors” using the following questions as a guide. 

“Look-For” Questions:

• Which character is which?  How do you know? 
• How do the performers use body language, gestures, facial expressions, etc. to physicalize the characters?
• How did the performers show status? How did they illustrate the “power switch” from master to servant?

Extension Questions (for Discussion or for Journal Writing)

• In your opinion, which dramatic form was most effective in portraying these characters: Tableaux, Mime or Scenes? Explain your choice.
• As a style, does Commedia dell’Arte rely more on the physical body or on spoken dialogue? How does this compare to theatre and/or television and film performances today? Can you think of any actors or characters from contemporary film and television that are as physical as Commedia dell’Arte characters? (Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, etc.)

 

Extension Activities

• Extend the Scenario: Since Pantalone has never cooked in his life, it could lead to another funny episode when the neighbour comes over and looks in the window and sees Pantalone waiting on his servants.
• Video Clips: Show a short video of The Simpsons or Seinfeld and have students identify the character types and watch carefully for the acting style.
• Playing on a Theme: Make new groups. Switch characters or play the same character as you did originally. Use the universal themes of Love, Greed, Jealousy or Vanity to brainstorm new scenarios in new groups. Have groups create the scenes using Tableaux, Mime or Spoken Dialogue. Students should decide if they want to perform as Commedia dell’Arte characters or as modern-day versions of these characters.
• Character Interview: Students form pairs. Person A is a Commedia dell’Arte character and Person B is an interviewer from the 21^st century. Have the interviewer Hot-Seat the character. The character may also be curious about the modern world, and may ask the interviewer questions as well. For example: Arlecchino might want to know more about servants in the 21^st century. Are they paid? What skills do they need? Etc. 

Follow-up Discussion/Journal Topics: 

• How did it feel to play in the Commedia style? Is there a difference in your playing if you wear a mask or short beard?  What are the elements of a good Commedia style performance? 
• If you could go back in time to join a real Commedia troupe in Italy in the 16^th century, what do you imagine life on the road would be like?
• How does comedy today differ from the style of comedy presented in Commedia dell’Arte? Can you think of other modern-day characters from film and television that resemble Commedia characters?
   
• Would you consider the Commedia characters to be stereotypes? Are modern-day comedic characters like Homer and Bart from The Simpsons also stereotypes?  How, as a performer, can you go beyond the st and create a “real” character?
   
• What is the purpose of comedy? Why is it important for us to laugh at ourselves?
   
• Which characters from Commedia and/or modern-day comedy do you connect to?  Why? Can a funny character also make us feel other emotions, such as sadness or sympathy?