Adapting to an Environment

The importance of performance is extremely high in Commedia Dell'Arte. In general when this was performed classically, it would be performed anywhere from a theater to a street corner, and all the actors had to intrigue an audience of passing people is there performance. Complete dedication to the actions, and bold choices are the "spectacle" when it comes to this form of theater. Including masks and bright costuming, the attention of the people is completely based on the performance itself. This could be helped with an audience's participation. Having actor asides, improved interactions, and pulling jokes from bystanders in the crowd is another useful tool used to create a successful show. As stated in Brockett's text, "... Adaptability was one key to their success [as a troupe]" (Brockett 172). For this performance, as done in Early Modern Italy, the troupe casted in Servant of Two Masters, must play and rely on each other, the situations, and the audience's reactions to the show itself.

Work Cited:
Google Images Search: "commedia dell'arte lighting"

Brockett, Oscar G. "Commedia Dell'Arte." History of the Theatre. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2007. 168-73. Print.