Task 1: Exploring Techniques: Commedia Dell'Arte Exploration

 Commedia Dell'Arte Exploration

  • Commedia Dell'Arte is a type of theatre that is completely improvised. It includes masks and massively exaggerated movements. In Commedia, you speak in complete gibberish so you must tell the story through face and action. To distinguish the characters from each other, you move by leading with a certain body part.

Exploration of Commedia Style With Vocal Sounds

  • To ease us into Commedia, we started by improvising a scene in a supermarket but spoke in gibberish. The aim was to be able to get an audience to understand the scene even though we aren't talking and outright saying what is happening. 

Exploration Using Masks and Exaggeration

  • To develop our acting with the Commedia style, we started by assigning ourselves characters and wore they assigned mask. We then looked out what body part they follow with so that we could understand how our character walks around the stage. My character was Brighella. Brighella walks upright with the chest leading the walk. In this scene, we improvised being waiters/waitresses at a restaurant. 


Exploration of Using Commedia Techniques

  • We know combined Commedia techniques (minus the use of masks) to tell an audience 4 jokes using no words, only gibberish and exaggerated movements in hope that the audience could be able to tell what jokes we are telling. 
The first joke:
  • 'What do you call an allegator wearing a vest?'... 'An Investigator!'
The second joke:
  • 'Have you heard the joke about yoga?'... 'Never mind it's a bit of a stretch'
 The third joke:
  • 'I had to sell my vacuum cleaning'...'It was just collecting dust'
The fourth joke:
  • 'Knock knock'
  • 'Who's there?'
  • 'Banana'
  • 'Knock knock'
  • 'Who's there?'
  • 'Banana'
  • 'Knock knock'
  • 'Who's there?'
  • 'Banana'
  • 'Knock knock'
  • 'Who's there?'
  • 'Orange'
  • 'Orange, who?'
  • 'Orange-you glad I didn't say banana'

Personal Reflection of Commedia

  • When it came to speaking gibberish to tell the story/jokes, I think I did well to get that story across to an audience through my facial expressions and actions. Although, I think I could have exaggerated my movements more. Exaggeration is such an important element in Commedia so I think I need to have more clear and exaggerated movements to really emphasise my actions and story telling. I think I could loosen my body up a bit more as well, not if I'm playing a character like Brighella but when I'm moving in general in the shopkeeper scene and during the jokes scene. Loosing my body can allow more exaggerated movements and look a bit chaotic but organised still. 



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