Hyo ji report

Commedia dell’ Arte Name: Hyo Ji Kim Grade: 9 Subject: MYP Drama Teacher: Ms. Rankin Word count: 524 Table of Contents ,[object Object]

History of Commedia Masks…………………………..3

Main Characters....................................................……4-5

Influences to Actors…………………………………….6-7

The Way Of Making Commedia Masks………….7-8

Conclusion……………………………………………………..9

Bibliography with Comments………………………9-11Introduction “Commedia dell’Arte combines various aspects of mask, mime, dance, and circus. The translation of the term “arte” highlights the characteristics of Commedia dell’Arte as: the professional character of improvised theatre” (Antonio Fava, No Date) The famous Italian theatre, Commedia dell’Arte used a variety of masks to offer more fun to the audience. The masks took a significant part in this form of this theatre. There are four areas, including the history of commedia masks, main characters, influences, the way of making commedia masks. Thus, this report is going to examine about masks in Commedia dell’Arte. History of Masks Commedia masks had a quite long history. There are three reasons why the actors started to use masks in the mid-1500s in Italy. Originally, “masks were used in Commedia dell’Arte to firstly help identify the characters” (University of Southern Queensland, 2009). Commedia masks referred to character types, and the audience could easily recognize who was who. In addition, masks made the actor remind about what they were doing, because “the mask was to limit the view of the actors, making them snake their head from side to side to see what was going on” (Abid, 2009). Finally, the masks helped in developing actors’ skills. “Italian street performers, donning masks to draw attention and complement their physical and acrobatic skills” (Shane-Arts, No Date). Therefore, the masks were used to create a better commedia performance. Main Characters There are three main characters, called Arlecchino, Pantalone, and Zanni in Commedia dell’Arte. They all have their own masks, and every mask has unique characteristics. <Arlecchino> Arlechhino is a Harlequin. His character is from “Tristano Martinelli, a member of the Raccolti troupe” (John Rudlin, 1994:76). Diamond shaped eye patches in his mask represent his energetic personalities. Arlecchino’s tan mask color was also symbolic, because “it stands for the complexion of the inhabitants of those mountains burned fierce by the sun” (Goldoni, No Date). Performers can act the characters more comfortably with the masks. Figure SEQ Figure ARABIC 1: Arlecchino’s Cat-Shaped Mask (Alyssa Ravenwood, 2000) <Pantalone> Pantalone is an old man. The origin of his character is come from “God of Dying”(John Rudlin, 1994:92). Pantalone is not able to walk fast. His dark brown mask was stuck out in a long and hooked nose. He also had white hairy eyebrows. “Pointed beard juts forward as if to meet the nose coming down, thus giving a very dynamic profile” (Abid, 1994:93). As Figure 5 shows Pantalone’s pointed beard, the mask helps the actor create the character of Pantalone. Figure 2: Pantalone (Neman's Commedia Mask Company, 2006-2010) <The Zanni> The Zanni is a dispossessed immigrant worker. His name is a “Generic name for a comic servant” (Gordon, No date). The bottom of his mask is hinged and cut away together. Typical features of the Zanni include poor, desperate and ignorant. As Figure 3 shows the Zanni’s bent and long nose, it is easy and helpful to identify certain character clearly with a mask. Figure 3: Zanni (Newman's Commedia Mask Company, 2006-2010 Influences to Actors Antonio Fava said, stock characters imitated “putting human behaviour into a mask, gazing at the audience becomes no longer an action of that individual character but rather a representation of the human behaviour that goes with the genre of the character”. “Stock characters are defined as people who wear masks in the performance” (John Rudlin, 1994). There are two interesting stock characters, Arlechhino and Zanni. Commedia masks affect to the actors of Arlecchino and Zanni greatly. “These masks are designed for clarity of personality and maximum playability” (Commedia Zuppa). The masks exaggerate comic features of stock characters, and therefore, commedia dell’Arte can give additional enjoyment to the audience. One of the remarkable stock characters is Arlecchino. Arlecchino shows his brilliance, but he also manifests his foolishness. His cat-shaped mask allows the actor to express Arlecchino’s characteristics efficiently (Francois Marmontel, No Date). “Arlecchino embodied the wiles of the cat, represented by one of his Masks, along with a childlike joy undented by want and misery” (Marino Palleschi, 2005). The other stock character is the Zanni. The Zanni is the most teased out all characters in Commedia dell’Arte, because he never gets schooling. “As with other Commedia characters, the longer Zanni’s nose (See Figure 4), the more stupid he is” (John Rudlin, 1994). The mask of Zanni contributes to showing his ignorant characteristics well. Figure 4: The Zanni's Hooked Nose (Alyssa Ravenwood, 2000) The Way of Making Original Commedia dell’Arte masks are made of leather. Leather masks are very comfortable, and had long durability (Masks Arts Company, 1976-2010). They are created after going through many complicated steps. These are the process of making Commedia masks: ,[object Object]

Seat the positive on to the baseboard with clay and cover it with Vaseline. Figure 5: Modelling the Mask (Tony Silva, 2007) ,[object Object]

Treatment of the matrix Figure 3: Carved Wooden Matrix (Abid, 2007) ,[object Object]

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