Marketplaces in sixteenth-century Europe thronged with barkers and costermongers calling their wares and travelling shows where mountebanks staged miraculous recoveries amidst masks and music. Within this carnival atmosphere, improvised theatre naturally thrived as a popular pastime. Rude, funny and satirical, commedia dell’ arte established itself across the piazzas of Italy from the 1530’s onwards. The term arte signified that the comedy was performed by professional actors - who could sing, dance, mime, clown, juggle and tumble their way through the improvised shows. The players lampooned social stereotypes according to their status or regional origin. These evolved into the larger than life stock characters easily recognisable by audiences across a crowded market place. An actor would often play the same character for the whole of his or her working life.

Commedia dell' arte in context
Although the form began on the streets and was non-elitist, it was soon in high demand amongst the aristocracy in the court and theatres. Shakespeare and Moliere plundered the characters and plots for their own plays. Carlo Goldini's A Servant of Two Masters, adapted from his own scenario, allegedly sounded the death knell for the improvised form. The style, however, has had a lasting effect on popular entertainment. From vaudeville to pantomime and silent movies, from the Marx Brothers to Monty Python, Mr Punch and Mr Bean, all must tip their hat to the commedia dell'arte players. Commedia on its own indicates a contemporary theatre form using elements of the original, including work by such companies as Trestle Theatre, Told by an Idiot, Complicite and others influenced by Jacques Lecoq. The traditional form is still performed in this country by companies like Ophaboom and Trading Faces.

Style
The exuberant theatrical style was largely dictated by the demandsof the alfresco setting. Actors added emphasis to their spoken lines through stylised gesture and movement. Bright costumes and masks enabled players to divert attention from competing entertainments. Characters thus became instantly recognisable, regardless of which actor was portraying them. As companies toured across the culturally diverse regions of Italy and the rest of Europe, performances had to be visually comprehensible regardless of language or dialect.

The plays themselves were a mixture of the comic, the romantic and the downright vulgar. The argumento provided an outline plot written up as a scenario or canovaccio – a list of scenes which would be pinned up backstage. Although the performance was improvised, players would memorise catchphrases or entire speeches which could be trotted out at the right moment. On the visual side there were the lazzi – hundreds of pre-rehearsed comic routines and gags such as the spitting of cherry stones, the pulling of teeth or the turning of a cartwheel whilst retaining a full glass of wine. These could be relied on to liven up a dull scene, both for the audience and the players.