Fabrizio Paladin is an award winning actor, director, playwright, teacher and musician who comes from Treviso, just outside Venice, Italy. With an expertise in Commedia dell’Arte and improvisation, he holds a graduate degree from University of Bologna. Producing and performing his own work in Italy (“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”, “Impresa Bellissima... e Pericolosa,...”, “O Spettacolo morto de fome e sono, pleno d’amor”, “The exhausting affaires of Love”...) has lead to the production of Paladin’s work in Portugal, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, and the United States. His book about Commedia, mask, and improvisation, Teatro E La Maschere, will be published by Firenzelibri in 2008.
Presentation Overview
Commedia Dell’Arte is a form that lives in front of an audience. It must be experienced in order to be a valuable tool for actors today. The Interactive Workshop is comprised of performance, lecture and audience participation sessions to provide both a context for Commedia as well as a fresh approach to character, comedy and the art of improvisation.
Beginning with a hilarious and historically informative lecture on the impact of the renaissance theatre, we will address the following questions:
• Why is Commedia Dell’Arte said to be the beginning of professional theatre?
• Why did this comic style use masks?
• How did the Dell’Arte survive centuries to impact the modern stage?
This spirited demonstration will provide a guide for students to approach the mask, characters and situations of Commedia. We will explore these “how to” questions:
• How does a performer “play” a mask?
• How do we create an optical illusion with the mask?
• What is meant by improvisation?
• Who are the characters of Commedia Dell’Arte?
Next, it’s time for the masks to take centre stage. Paladin brings the characters of Commedia Dell’Arte to life, performing “Arlecchino’s dream”, “the Death of Pantalone” and other scenes in traditional Italian leather masks
We invite you to a trip in time, from the 16th century to today. Together, we will explore the play of this adventurous art, which has been alive for almost five centuries. Enjoy the tradition, now!
