What great of an influence has Commedia Dell’ Arte had on subsequent performance art..
Commedia Dell’Arte was a popular comedy style in Italy in the 16th – 18th centuries which consisted of improvised elements, stock characters and the use of masks. The expressive Theatre influenced artists such as Molière, Carlo Goldoni, Charlie Chaplin, Harpo Marx and Steven Berkoff. Find out what exactly it is where these techniques and tools connect within subsequent performances and how they apply to different performance needs in theatre and film. What are the rules and how can they be made useful for the performer of nowadays productions by studying the great masters of comedy. Most actors find a successful comedic performance harder to achieve than a dramatic one. And although Focus on finding ways in which the previously named examples of great artists made great use of the techniques and tools defined by the Commedia Dell’Arte and how it helped them to find a new take on old and known stock characters in their times. For example Charlie Chaplin in ”Modern Times” and Steven Berkoff in his adaption of Franz Kafka’s ”The Metamorphosis”. differentiate between standard techniques which apply to everyone and some techniques which apply to different forms of performances and actors. Especially the rules for the stock characters raise questions of accountability in nowadays portrayal of women and man alike and if there are examples in which those characters already have been altered to match a different idea regarding society than the ones applicable in Italy at the time. The question is if there is a correct approach of old techniques and archetypes for actors in the 21st Century? And what tools are advisable to explore further and which ones make sense to be adopted fully? There is much to learn and draw from the great artists who have made good use of the Commedia Dell’Arte techniques and gaining knowledge in which ways and to what degree the great comedic artists have reached out to this tradition might help to create a toolkit and a unique style for the actor of today channelling the tradition of comedy or tragic comedy. Furthermore, its of essential importance to approach this project from an actors perspective or as an actor intending to empower fellow actors to be more pro-active in creating their own work and own characters who tell the stories relatable to their times, problems and ideas
What great of an influence has Commedia Dell’ Arte had on subsequent performance art.