Theater del arte before and in modern times

Italian theater del arte significantly influenced the development of modern theater. This theater of masks developed in Italy as a new kind of drama, when such writers appeared, who created dramas and comedies that were quite complicated in terms of the plot and meaning - Ariosto, Machiavelli, Bibiena. Actors should beat a huge amount of skills - singing, dancing, doing flips, sitting on the twine, have a good ability to pantomime, play various musical instruments and have a well-placed voice and memory. Very important for the actor was the ability to fantasize and improvise, because some scenes actors came up before going on stage.

The basis of the play in comedy del arte was a script, the essence of which was a brief narrative of the episode, with a detailed depiction of all the stage characters, the actions of the character, the description of all the requisites that were necessary for the game. In most cases, the script was basically comic, but in fact, it did not stop there - the script could have the character of a pastor, a tragedy and a tragicomedy. Yet an important role in the game of the Italian theater of masks was played by the ability to improvise, when the actor could conduct his storyline, skillfully giving words in combination with gestures and facial expressions. Also, with improvisation, the performance was better perceived by the public, because the news could be weaved into the game by the news of the city where the actor's troupe was performing at the moment. The plot of the play was written strictly to the presence of masks that were in the troupe. A good acting group had a singer, a dancer, and two actresses. And at the beginning and end of the action, there was usually a parade in which all the actors participated, accompanied by music and dancing, combined with tricks and all kinds of stupidities - and this action was accompanied by the beginning and end of the play. Each actor chose his mask and throughout his life played only in it, recruited many aphorisms and jokes, scenic tricks, sayings, witticisms that corresponded to his role. You can see and feel all this in St. Petersburg's Maly Theater, where a performance recently appeared based on the first performances of del arte. If you buy tickets to a small theater, then plunge into the atmosphere of the ancient Italian buffalo and get an incomparable pleasure.

Basics of the theater del arte are now actively used in the spontaneous game; Also the theme of masks is used in psychology, or rather - in the theater of drama, when simple actors take part in the role of actors, experiencing certain life situations on the stage and revealing themselves, so that later it can be applied in reality.