COMMEDIA COMES TO TOWN
Commedia dell’Arte play- ancestor of Pantomime
From The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni
We are a professional educational theatre company based in Moray and last year toured one of our productions for the Highlands 2007 Festival.
This year we have been funded by the Highland Producers Fund to tour the Highlands and Moray with the same production, “Commedia Comes to Town”.
The show is an ancient Italian theatre form, Commedia dell’Arte, originating in Italy in the 1500’s. It has been adapted for the Scottish stage and contains humour and music from Scottish culture.
This theatre form uses masks to represent archetypal characters found in any small town and is the ancestor of modern pantomime and comedy. Some of it’s descendants are the characters of Harlequin, Columbine, Scaramouche and Pierrot.
The play begins in 1700, with 6 actors arriving in town and preparing to perform. We witness their trials and tribulations as they discover the prompt has absconded with all their money and belongings. A young boy offers to replace him, and the masked characters are introduced to the novice prompt, and so to the audience. This is then followed by the company performing the Commedia dell’ Arte show itself.
This production is a fast moving comedy full of ridiculous plots and characters, with Scottish and Italian flavours. The masks, costumes and set, recreate with striking authenticity the theatre of this period.
It is family entertainment suitable for children from the age of 9 years upwards.
The playing time is 1hour 30 minutes.
Our dates for touring ‘Commedia Comes to Town’ will be from 8th June up to and including the 22th of June 2008
Our venues are:
Sun 8th June Nairn, Little Theatre 2.30 pm
Thurs 12th June Coigach Community Hall, Achiltibuie 8.00 pm
Sat 14th June Inverness, Eden Court (One touch theatre) 8.00 pm
Sun 15th June Ellon, Haddo House 2.30 pm
Thu 19th June Edderton, Edderton Hall 7.30 pm
Fri 20th June Elgin, Red Shoes 8.00 pm
Sat 21st June New Deer, New Deer Town Hall 7.30 pm
Sun 22nd June Mar Lodge, nr Braemar, time tbc.
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