Education of the Style

Central is an educational institution first, production group second. Therefore it is important that those acting in the roles know their history of Commedia Dell'Arte. This includes performance style, original methods and process, and knowledge of stock characters. The type of comedy that is present of Servant of Two Masters is a special brand of humor. It relies on strong physical humor and interactions with other characters. In order to produce an accurate representation of Commedia, the actors must be trained in the style of acting. In John Rudlin's monograph Commedia Dell'Arte: The Actor's Handbook, Rudlin goes into great detail about effort put in to produce authentic comedy in early modern Italy. ".... [A]ctors took pre-existing folk forms, improvised masking, music and dance and developed them into a theatrical medium... making them, virtually, professional secrets..." (Rudlin 2). Actors should have the same knowledge, creativity, and connection with the other actors to make this performance as authentic as possible.

Work Cited:
Rudlin, John. Commedia Dell'arte: an Actor's Handbook. London: Routledge, 1994. Print.