00041: INJURIES!!!
Wear heels they said! You will look good in heels they said! It’s easy they said! And yes, it is fun to wear heels, but if you are a person who isn’t used to wearing heels and suddenly you have …
Category: SABBATICAL
00040: SHOES! COSTUMES! AND MAKEUP! OH MY!
We had a costume fitting just a couple of weeks ago. The the fitting also included shoes, of course. It has taken me a while to post about this matter because the fitting, although exciting, was also a little bit …
00038: REVISITING THE ONE-PERSON SHOW!
Before spending my sabbatical days in Italy learning about Commedia dell’arte, I was already working on a one-person show, also as part of my sabbatical. I spent six months writing a script and having dramaturgical meetings with a theatre director. …
00037: A COMMEDIA DELL’ARTE COURSE
One of the main objectives of my sabbatical research, is the creation of a new theatre course on Commedia dell’arte. Using the many resources I was able to find, the information I was able to collect, and the different theatre …
00036: DELL’ARTE ALUMNI CONVERSATION
The following transcript is based on conversations with a closed friend who is an alumni from Dell’Arte International. Our conversations centered around her training and the benefits of it. The conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity. –What made …
00035: DEL’ARTE INTERVIEW
The following conversation with Tony Fuemmeler (interim head of training programs) took place over zoom. The content has been edited for clarity and space. –What can you tell me about Physical Theatre training for the actor? In general, physical theatre …
00034: DELL’ ARTE INTERNATIONAL
Humboldt County is located in Northern California. Within Humboldt County, a very small town (population 1200 as of 2020 census) named Blue Lake is found. This town is located on the Mad River, 6 miles northeast of Eureka, at an …
00033: ARRIVEDERCI ITALIA!
Welp, my trip to Italy has ended. I had the best of times; I have the worse of times. And regardless of the experiences, I am in fact, very thankful for the opportunity to spend so much time in a …
00032: IL DOTTORE DI BOLOGNA
The last commedia dell’arte character on my list is commonly known as IL DOTTORE, “The Doctor.” His real name is “Il Dottore Balanzone” and he’s from Bologna. He’s part of the older generation of characters, “I Vecchi,” (The Old Ones) …
00031: VALLE BREMBANA; TERRA D’ARLECCHINO, PART II
If I ever doubted that Bergamo doesn’t recognize Arlecchino, I only need to go to Villa d’Almè. Villa d’Almè is about 30 minutes from Bergamo and is the entry point from the north (coming from Switzerland) to the first major Italian …
00031: VALLE BREMBANA; TERRA D’ARLECCHINO, PART II Read more »
00030: IL MANTELLO DI ARLECCHINO 2023
As part of the Arts and Culture 2023 Festival going on between the cities of Bergamo and Brescia, one event, involving a commedia dell’arte character, is the “Arlecchino’s Cloak Project,” better known as “Il Mantello di Arlecchino,” which concentrates on …
00029: VALLE BREMBANA; TERRA DI ARLECCHINO, PART I
I’m starting this post with a disclaimer. There is place in the Bergamo region that claims to be “Arlecchino’s House” and also “Arlecchino’s Museum.” This place is known as “Casa Museo di Arlecchino.” The “house/museum” is located in the village …
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00028: ARLECCHINO AROUND TOWN
While Napoli embraces Pulcinella as part of its arts and culture, the entire region of Campagna also embraces the character as part of its popular pop culture. Bergamo, on the other hand, and the entire region have not made Arlecchino …
00027: IL MUSEO DEL BURATTINO
By the time I arrived in Bergamo I knew two things: 1) Arlecchino and Brighella are the two commedia dell’arte characters with roots in the city, and 2) somewhere in the city of Bergamo a statue to Arlecchino exist. What I …
00026: ARLECCHINO A BERGAMO
While the City of Bergamo doesn’t show the same “enthusiasm” for Arlecchino as Napoli shows for Pulcinella, Bergamo still recognizes Arlecchino as part of their culture and their art. Within half a block from Bergamo Centrale train station, a statute …
00025: BERGAMO, LA CITTÀ DIVISO IN DUE
The city of Bergamo, in the region of Lombardy Italy, is located about 25 miles north of Milano and about 18 miles south of Switzerland. I mention its location because no other city is further north in Italy than Bergamo. …
00024: IL CAPITANO MATAMOROS
One of the most entertaining commedia dell’arte characters who is also less known to most people is Il Capitano (The Captain.) Like Pulcinella, Il Capitano was born in Naples, although Napoletani don’t pay homage to him the way they do …
00023: IL MUSEO DI PULCINELLA
Pulcinella has always been associated with Naples. And as I mentioned in my previous post, this commedia dell’arte character is a symbol of the city and it’s embedded in the cultural fabric of the Napoletani. It is logical then, that …
00022: PULCINELLA A CAMPANIA
I knew I was going to see a sign of Pulcinella before arriving to Naples. After all, I was aware that somewhere in the city there is a statue dedicated to this commedia dell’arte character. What I didn’t know was that …
00021: FLORENCE & COMMEDIA
Florence is considered the city of love so it makes sense that the two commedia dell’arte characters that belong to Florence are “the innamorati” (the lovers.) And because the lovers are young, infatuated with love, and desperately wanting to be …
00020: IL TEATRO OLIMPICO
Every semester I teach one or two “Introduction to Theatre” classes. Within the class, at some point I get to talk about Italian Theatre during the Renaissance period. One aspect we discuss in class is Italian architecture, literature, and inventions …
00019: IL CARRO DEI COMICI
One of the last plays I saw during the Carnevale was “Il carro dei comici.” This production was presented by Compagnia Pantakin da Venezia, which is the same company that presented VENEZIA MILLENARIA. This company is also responsible for the …
00018: MUSEO MASCHERA SARTORI
Within the region of Veneto, in the province of Padova (Pauda) in Italy, there is a small town named Abano Terme. Most people know the town for its hot springs and mud baths, which is an important economic resource. I, …
00017: IL TRIONFO DI ARLECCHINO
The commedia dell’arte festival during the Carnevale, was an international event that also included two different countries: France and Rumania. Because I arrived during the second week of the festival, I missed the theatre presentation from Rumania, which only participated …
00016: THE SIGNS OF COMMEDIA DELL’ARTE IN VENICE
If you are a person who is tuned into Commedia dell’arte, like me, as you walk throughout the city of Venice, you will soon noticed the many signs of this 17th-18th century acting style. It is all over the place. …
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00015: COMMEDIA INCOMPIUTA
COMMEDIA INCOMPIUTA translates to “Unfinished Comedy.” The title is a reference to the philosophy that a play isn’t complete until an audience sees it. And I, being a playwright myself, identify with such philosophy; I had written many plays that …
00014: LA CASA DI CARLO GOLDONI
Carlo Goldoni was an Italian playwright born in Venice in 1707. When he was a young man, his father, a doctor, moved to Perugia and then to Remini. It was there that Carlo Goldoni studied philosophy and law, fields that …
00013: ARLECCHINO E IL CAPITANO MANGABAMBINI & IL MASCHERAIO
During my second day at the Carnevale, I attended two events: the play “Arlecchino e Il Capitano Mangabambini” (Harlequin and the Eating-children Captain) and the lecture “Il Mascheraio” (The Mask Maker.) Both events were excellent choices to witness. “Arlecchino e Il …
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00012: IL MERCANTE DI VENEZIA & VENEZIA MILLENARIA
The first day I saw two shows: “Il Mercante de Venezia” and “Venezia Millenaria.” In English: “The Merchant of Venice” and “Millennial Venice.” The first play is by Shakespeare but the production was adapted to the Commedia dell’arte style, including …
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00011: L’ARTE DELLA COMMEDIA
One of the main programs at the Carnevale di Venezia 2023 is the VENEZIA OVVERO L’ARTE DELLA COMMEDIA (Venice o el Arte de la Commedia.) In this program, there are ten different Commedia dell’arte plays being presented in rotation in two …
0009: THAT’S WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT!
When I first started my career in theatre, and I mean, going to school for it, I had no idea what “commedia dell’arte” was. When I first encountered it, I didn’t quite grasp its true meaning and didn’t think much …
0006: WHETHER THE WEATHER
You would think that for someone who doesn’t like the cold, going to Venice at the top of February should be a big ‘no-no.’ The reality is that when I started thinking of Venice as part of my sabbatical, I …
0005: PREPARING THE SABBATICAL TRIP
My sabbatical trip to Italy comes with many different stops and visits to different cities and towns. To help me organize my thoughts and visualize the trip, I bought a planner. The last time I used one of these was …
0004: THE STAGED READING
Because this was a staged reading, no set was needed. The director, however, decided that the image of the show should be present as a visual. He also added two music stands and a box that served as a “table” …
0003: THE PLAY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
I’ve arrived in Wooster, OH as planned. In the next two days, I will be giving a workshop on “solo performance” and preparing for the staged reading. The artistic director of Teatro Travieso is also a full-time faculty at The …
0002: THE NEW NORMAL
Fall 22 has become the semester to fully work on both, my sabbatical play and the planning of my sabbatical trip. So far the one-person show has had three different re-writes, it has been read by three different theatre professionals: a …
0001: THE SABBATICAL EXPERIENCE
I am creating this blog series as a means to document my sabbatical work, which is divided into two parts: 1: A trip to Italy in relation to Commedia dell’arte and its characters and 2: the writing of a new …