Research of Commedia dell'arte

What were the cultural influences on Commedia dell'arte?

During the 16th century, Italy was in the middle of its renaissance. Lavish artwork, architecture, clothing and lifestyles were big parts of the romantic lives of many living in Italy at the time. Many of the colourful costumes and masks were inspired by such things, with many of the stories derived from classic literary works of the period referred to as "Commedia Erudita" which means literary drama. 

Although it is up to speculation as to the true origins of Commedia dell'arte, it is commonly believed that it developed from the many travelling performances, bards and jugglers of medieval Europe who would play in markets and other bustling places as well as performers in festivals and gatherings. 

Many of the stories, masks and props were sexually suggestive, with certain masks having oversized, phallus-like noses and certain pieces of art showing prop swords with rounded edges. 

What did a traditional Commedia performance look like? 

The performance would consist of 12 performers who specialised in their specific character, mastering their mannerisms and nuances. Although there were no directors or playwrights, they did have scenrarios that they could use at any point within their improvised performances; these could be little movements, interactions or actions between different characters. These would usually be around three pages long however none of the dialogue would be written down. 

Each performance would be entirely improvised, with dialogue and story lines being different with every show. However, the company of performers would have outlines of the stories of which direction they would like to take the piece. 

Due to Commedia's use of masks, much of the plays focused on the physicality than use of voice. All characters have mannerisms about them that make them stand out from all the others making all of them feel lively and unique. It was also commonplace for Commedia performances to make the audience feel apart of the piece instead of just an observer.