The Comedy of Art, Also called Comedia all'improviso (for its use of improvisation), it was an eminently popular type of theatrical show. Its origin dates back to the 16th century, although some authors affirm that it already existed during the previous century..
This type of theater began in Renaissance Italy, experiencing some expansion in France, Spain or Russia. The theories about their origin are varied: one of them relates them to a certain type of representation that already occurred in ancient Rome; another, links it with the carnival, emphasizing the use of masks.
The characters were distinguished by their masks. Among them were the lovers, the vecchios (old) and the zannis (servants or buffoons).
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The Comedy of Art, originally called in Italian, Commedia dell'Arte, had its first performances in the 15th century. Its main boom occurred during the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, even reaching the nineteenth century.
This type of theater arose within a predominantly rural society. According to experts, the peasants used to meet after work, one of the most common entertainments being listening to stories.
From these meetings and the stories that were told, a series of characters were created, highly characterized by the different dialects that were spoken in Italy..
The characters were easily identifiable by the peasants and the typical carnival masks were added. At first, the performances were very visual and mocking, with a great deal of improvisation.
Before the arrival of the Renaissance, during the Middle Ages, in Italy there were already representations inherited from the Roman theater. They used to be improvisations and have a satirical and comic character. In those shows dance and mime were also included.
These small works only had a brief initial script, called Canovacci. It was a neutral plot, from which different stories developed. This distinguished them from formal theater, which had a fixed script to represent.
According to historians, the actors were incorporating the carnival masks to the shows, being the germ of the later Comedia del Arte. This last term, "Art", had the medieval meaning of "skill", and was used to differentiate this type of theater.
In front of the works represented in the Court, in which the actors used to be aristocrats or academics, those of that original Comedia del Arte were professionals. For the first time they were grouped in actors associations and began to charge for their performances.
In addition to the aforementioned medieval antecedent, three different theories about the origin of the Comedy of Art are usually pointed out.
The first, supported by some studies, claim that they may come from ancient Rome. At that time the so-called "atheian" farces were represented, which had some characters that experts relate to those of the Comedia del Arte.
On the other hand, other scholars believe that the origin was the union of the activities of medieval jugglers, jesters and jugglers, with the elements of Carnival. This current points to Ruzzante's popular comedies as the closest antecedent to the Comedia del Arte.
The last theory affirms that it was the evolution of the Latin comedy. When approaching the town, the style of the works of comic authors, such as Plautus or Terence, would have been transformed into that new type of theater.
In the theatrical sphere, the Comedy of Art is considered the most recognizable and important heritage of the Italian Renaissance. From then on, a new type of actor appeared: the comedians, coming from the jesters, minstrels and medieval storytellers..
The companies that emerged with this kind of theater were itinerant. They moved from one town to another looking for where to represent the works, although some managed to stay in the larger cities.
These transfers caused the scenarios to be very simple, since they had to take them with them. Although they could sometimes perform the plays in authentic theaters, they often had to do so in squares or makeshift venues..
The central plot of the works of the Comedy of Art used to be very similar. It was, in fact, the axis on which the actors were to improvise on each occasion.
The most common story revolved around two lovers who had to face opposition from their families or other absurd problems. The other characters were in charge of representing the comic situations so that the audience could enjoy the play.
The variety of accents offered by the Italian peninsula and the different topics associated with each region were widely used by the Comedia del Arte.
Each character was acquiring the way of speaking and the character of the different areas, using local features in a humorous way. For example, Pulcinella was Neapolitan, while Harlequin was of Bergamo origin..
One of the most characteristic elements of the Comedy of Art was the use of masks. Each character, except the lovers, wore his own. It was a half-mask theater, leaving their mouths free so they could speak.
Another important element was that there were women performing. This differentiated it from English theater and other traditions, in which female characters were represented by men..
As noted above, the script for the Art Comedy was very sketchy. Some came from ancient plays and served as the basis for the actors to improvise.
At the time of the performance, the company placed a booklet at the back of the stage, which indicated the entrances and exits to the actors. The dialogues, meanwhile, were mostly made up on the fly.
Although improvisation was the norm, the Comedy of Art was not without a certain fixed structure. Each company had a stage director and a script to control the performance.
That director was also one of the actors, usually the main one. Before starting the show, the custom was to offer a summary of the plot to the audience.
The works used to be developed in three acts and, between them, musical shows, acrobatics or dance were interspersed.
Broadly speaking, the Comedy of Art consisted of three groups of characters. The first consisted of servants, called Zanni. These were of peasant origin and used their ingenuity and picaresque to survive in the city.
The second group was the Vecchi, the old men. They represented Power in its different forms, both the political and the military, through the economic or the intellectual..
Lastly, there were the Innamorati (the Lovers). These did not wear a mask, since their feelings had to be shown naked.
The Harlequin was part of the group of servants, the Zanni. He came from Bergamo and was characterized as cunning, but naive and foolish in his work. He was always trying to improve his salary, often working for various masters. In the end, I used to take more hits than money.
His wardrobe consisted of patches and patches, although over time he began to wear the typical diamond suit. His mask was made of black leather and he wore large mustaches, which he lost in his French version..
Her Italian name was Pulcinella and she came from Naples. His main feature was a hump, in addition to a white suit.
He had a resigned character, with deep thoughts. His physical appearance condemned him to be mocked and starved, misfortunes that he tried to overcome by singing. He wore a black mask and a hook nose.
The character was the origin of a type of puppet and, in fact, in France he changed his name to Monsieur Guignol.
She was a maid, Harlequin's companion. He suffered from the approach of the master, who confused the girl's flirtation with a love interest.
Pant was part of the group of Old Men. He was a wealthy merchant, from Venice, and they called him magnificent.
The character was very suspicious and lustful. Her daughter was one of the lovers and her suitor never liked her father.
He wore a black cape and a mask of the same color in which a white goatee goatee and a hooked nose stood out..
Despite stating that he was a member of the University of Bologna, on many occasions he shows great ignorance. He mixed his dialect with a very bad Latin.
He always wore black, with a very wide-brimmed hat. The mask is similar to that of Trousers.
Within the character groups, the Captain was a bit independent. He was neither a master nor a servant, nor was he a lover. However, it completed the representation of Power, representing the military.
He showed friendship with the masters, while making hurtful taunts to the servants. He came from Spain and was characterized as boastful and cowardly.
His costume mimicked that of 16th century Spanish officers, with a large sword. The masks were very picturesque.
One of them used to be the daughter of Pantalón and, the other, of the Doctor. They used to carry bucolic names, like Angelica and Fabricio. They did not wear masks, thus differentiating themselves from the rest of the characters.
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