Masks
On the stage of the Commedia you live the part of a Mask. The Mask is a larger-than-life character with it's own peronality, goals, gestures and physical appearence. It is your task to bring the Mask to life. Below you can find links to full descriptions of the three Masks we have chosen to include in the Commedia. When The historical Commedia dell'Arte was the hot thing in Europe there were several dozens more, ranging from the greedy master Pantalone to the rags-and-patches servant Zanni.
Your Mask is a vessel for expression and interpretation. A large part of the enjoyment of the Commedia comes from trying to portray the Masks as living and breathing characters rather than simple collections of sprites. Imagine that you truly are the Mask when you're on stage. React, weave stories and crack jokes as you imagine the Mask would in any given situation and you'll be well on your way to becoming a skilled Commedian.
The Masks give you the foundations of the play, the scenarios the framework. The show is yours.
The character descriptions are given in a three part format. First comes a short piece of prose attemting to convey the feel of the character and the way it talks and thinks. The second part is a character description in a kind short form inspired by table top-roleplaying and the works of American interactive theatre guru Gary Izzo. This part deserves some in-depth explanation and advice on how to use it in play. You'll find it here. The last part of the character description is a conventional character description going into some detail abouth the characters past and what makes it tick, as well as giving a short historical background for the Mask.
Learn more about How to Use the Mask.
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Harlequin |
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Isabelle |
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The
Captain
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