Commedia del Arte

Androcles and the Lion is done in the style of Commedia del Arte.

Commedia del Arte is a style of comic theatre started in Italy and was extremely popular from the mid-1500s to the mid-1700s. It is the style which gave us "slapstick" comedy (think The Three Stooges). In fact, the term "slapstick comedy" comes to us because of a prop called a slapstick that was used by some of the characters to hit or beat other characters in a comic way.


Commedia performances always had stock characters, many of whom wore masks. Stock characters that you will find in our production are Arlechino, Pantalone, Capitano and Lelio and Isabella (the lovers). Often these characters had very specific ways that they moved and acted and audiences in Italy came to expect certain behaviors and actions from each character.


The story lines were often very similar in structure, but were very rarely scripted...the actors would improvise their lines (make them up as they went along) to tell the familiar stories. In our show, the typical plot of the lovers being prevented from marrying by the miser, Pantalone, becomes a key element.


Below are some illustrations of what the stock characters would have looked like back in the time of Italian Commedia. Look at them and see how they compare to what we have done with costumes when you come see the show!