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Neoclassical/ Commedia dell'Arte - Coggle Diagram
Neoclassical/ Commedia dell'Arte
Vitruvius:
De Architectura
Rediscovered in 1414, printed 1486
Instructions for:
Auditorium and stage
Appropriate scenery for comedy, tragedy, pastoral
Sebastiano Serlio (1475-1554)
Section devoted to theatre
Included illustrations of tragic, comic and pastoral scenes based on descriptions from Vitruvius
Used 4 sets of wings (3 angled,
Architecttura
: 1537-45
The Neoclassical Ideal
Started in Italy, spread to Europe (France!)
1486: performances of neoclassical plays
Academic Interest
Literary theory derives from HORACE and ARISTOTLE
1498:
Poetics
published in Latin translation
ARISTOTLE = supreme authority on literary matters
"Rules" of Neoclassicism
Promoted by French academy (est. 1637)
Decorum
: behavioral standards
Unities
: Time, Place, Action
Verisimilitude
Possible, but not probable
"likeness to life"
Purity of form:
Tragedy and Comedy
Purpose
of drama: moral lesson
5 Act
Structure
CHANGABLE SCENERY
backdrop = "drop" or "shutters"
"Borders = mask of
Movable "wings" (now called flats)
PERSPECTIVE...
Neoclassical Definition:
a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity.
Neoclassicism was the dominant form of theatre in the 18th century. ... Neoclassical theatre as well as the time period is characterized by its grandiosity. The costumes and scenery were intricate and elaborate. The acting is characterized by large gestures and melodrama.
Teatro Olimpico, Vicenza
Olympic Academy: founded 1555 to study Greek tragedy
Designed by Andrea Palladio: reproduce a clasical theatre INSIDE preexisting building
Built 1580-1584
Teatro Farnese, Parma
Completed 1618; first used 1628
Oldest surviving structure with a PERMANENT
PROSCENIUM ARCH
Designed by Giovan Battista Aleotti
Commedia dell'Arte
In its Heyday: referred to as:
commedia all'improviso
in constrast to commedia erudita
commedia degli zanni
Seen all over Europe
Simple trestle or booth stage
Emphasis on physical comedy & stock characters
Eliminates language barrier
Highly influential to new generation of playwrights
BUT--> never really a fixed distinction
Conventions
Stock characters
Performer always played same character
Lazzi
= comic bits
Fixed attributes and costume
Improvisation
Improvised dialogue and action
Section of set dialogue
There IS a plot outline
Comic bits
Role Types
Masters
Pantalone
"Big sword"
Middle-aged or elderly merchant
Venetian dialect
Brown mask with hooked nose (probably anti semitic)
Il Dottore
Bolognese Dialect
Use of Latin words and phrases
Doctor of Law or Medicine
Loved to show off learning
Academic cap and gown
Il Capitano
Boasted of great prowess
Sword, cape, feathered headdress
Braggart and coward
Unwelcome suitor
"small sword"
Servants (zanni)
2-4 per senerio
One clever/one stupid
Figured prominently in senerios
Kept plots moving (help or hinder master)
Most male...
Arlecchino
(later harlequin)
Most popular character
Cunning
Acrobat and dancer
Difficult to discern whether it was supposed to evoke a black servant
Black mask
Costume
...
Wooden "sword"
Servants
The ones that know things, that fix things
Innamorato/innamorata:
The Lovers
Fasionable, naïve, witty, educated
Usually some opposition to overcome
UNMASKED
Professional Companies
Productions supervised by leader
Organized on "shared plan"
10-12 members (men and women)
Traveled frequently, petitioned to perform at locales
....
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