Wednesdays | 10, 24 May| 7, 14 & 28 June |1-3pm |$100 for 5 (2 hour) sessions |Ages 10-14 |All materials included

We are extremely pleased to welcome Matriark Theatre to the home school program to present a unique five-week program of Commedia dell’Arte - Then and Now. Matriark have been regular visitors to Casula Powerhouse over the past few years and this course has been developed by them especially for the home school program.

Commedia dell’Arte is an Italian form of masked comedy that forms the bedrock of modern theatre - we see it in everything from Shakespeare to YouTube comedy. Over five weeks participants will learn how to perform the characters of Commedia and will discover their own characters drawn from modern life. This will culminate in a short, devised performance.

Week 1 | Zanni (servant)

We will start with a short introduction to Commedia followed by an exploration of the servant character of Commedia dell’Arte, how they are performed and the comedy that emerges from their interactions. This will lead to playing with how this character translates to modern comic characters, with a short play on our own contemporary Australia.

Week 2 | Innamorati (lovers)

Who are the lovers? Where did they come from? What do they look like now? The Lovers were the origins of celebrity culture, the first Kardashians and Beyoncés. Prima Donnas: They were beautiful and powerful. We will learn how to perform them, some short classic scenes from Commedia followed by an exploration how this character translates to comedy today.

Week 3 | Vecchi (old men)

A political statement wrapped up in parody. These characters are the powerful, old men of Commedia dell’Arte. They are merchants, doctors, lawyers, aristocrats and kings but, in the end, they are just as feeble as the servants. We will learn Magnifico & Il Dottore and seek to discover the ‘new’ masters in our own context.

Week 4 | Imposters

Il Capitano represents the boaster, braggart and liar of the Commedia world. He worms his way into positions of power by manipulating and lying before being revealed for the fraud he is. We will learn how to perform him and his companion character, La Signora, before looking at our own world to discover who the Capitano of today is.

Week 5 | Canovaccio

The five weeks will wrap up with a final performance of devised work. We will combine the classic Commedia characters we’ve learned with our own creations and devise our own performances to be shown at the end of the workshop.

This workshop will be facilitated by theatre professionals from Matriark Theatre. Their facilitators are internationally trained and nationally recognized with teaching experience in institutions and high schools across the country. They bring the expertise and energy of a seasoned Commedia troupe and regularly perform at various venues, schools and institutions around Sydney.

BOOK WITH THE MORNING SESSION, LOOK THINK CONSTRUCT, FOR A COMBINED PRICE OF $180 (A 10% DISCOUNT) - CALL THE BOX OFFICE AT (02) 9824 1121 TO BOOK.