Medieval and Commedia Dell'Arte

Well rehearsed bits of commedy within a scene like swordfights, chases, or daring escapes were called...

• Canavaccio
• Commedio
• Petruchia
• Lazzi

A character that follows a stereotype so that they are easily recognisable to the audience is called a...

• Troupe
• Lazzi
• Stock Character
• Canavaccia

Commedia Dell'Arte began in which country?

• Italy

• Spain

• France

• England

This zanni is also called Harlequin. He is playful like a monkey, and is an accomplished dancer and acrobat.

• Pedrolino

• Zanni

• Arlecchino

• Brighella

The servants in a Commedia play are called...

• Innamorati

• Vecci

• Zanni

• Lazzi

This group of stock characters are the lovers, also called the first and second actors. 

• Zanni
• Inammorati 
• Vecci
• Columbini

This stock character is a greedy, hook-nosed master. 

• Il Dottore
• Il Capitano
• Pantalone
• Zanni

What is the commedia dell'arte?

• Commedia dell'arte is a theatrical form characterized by clever scripts written by famous play writers  and all male characters that emerged in Scotland in the seventeenth century and rapidly gained popularity throughout England.
• Commedia dell'arte is a theatrical form characterized by improvised dialogue and a cast of colorful stock characters that emerged in northern Italy in the fifteenth century and rapidly gained popularity throughout Europe.
• Commedia dell'arte is a theatrical form characterized by dramatic entertainment, originating in Rome, in which performers express meaning through gestures accompanied by music.  It gained popularity in the fourteenth century. 

Why do the actors of commedia dell'arte wear masks?

• To disguise who they really were in real life; to hide their true identity. 
• Because they didn't want people to know they were women. 
• To quickly and easily be recongizable to the audience as a certain character. 

What about staging and props?

• Commedia dell'arte used quite specific and beautiful stage scenery and complicated props. 
• Often the performances were done on the street, so no scenery or props were needed besides the masks the actors wore. 
• Commedia dell'arte was full of incredibly designed props, but very little stage decoration. Mostly just a black back drop.