Commedia dell'arte

{kohm-may'-dee-ah del ahr'-tay} The commedia dell'arte ("professional comedy") emerged in Italy in the mid-16th century and flourished in Western Europe into the 18th century. The name was given to traveling companies who played in European theaters and marketplaces, before both royalty and commoners. Actors, generally wearing masks, improvised dialogue (commedia all'improviso) on the subject (a soggetto) of the scenario. The typical scenario of stock characters included the braggart captain, lecherous old men, young lovers, young women, Arlecchino or Harlequin, and other zanni or comic servants. The commedia was unique in its improvisational style, lively wit, obscene action, and overall vitality.

The commedia survives today in printed scenarios that can only suggest the scene and action of the original performances. Actors studied a single role, becoming identified with it on and off stage. They were trained in mime and acrobatics, and studied Italian dialects and the classics for use in monologues. Though some speeches were memorized, most were improvised on stage. Often the plot was interrupted by lazzi (l'azioni, or "actions"), which consisted of comic business, jokes, and witty byplay performed by the zanni. Ensemble playing was essential.