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Face the truth: Actors in the Commedia Company will perform Renaissance-style sketches using signature masks at Cloud City on Jan. 25–27. Photo by Caroline Ourso
Mask for more
Williamsburg group brings 16th century comedy to modern day
COURIER LIFE, JANUARY 24-30, 2020 41
By Rose Adams It’s a Renaissance renaissance!
A Williamsburg comedy troupe
is updating 16th century Italian
theater for the modern era! During three
performances at Williamsburg’s Cloud
City on Jan. 25–27, members of the
Commedia Company will don masks to
perform improvised skits that often involve
the audience. Just like the centuries-old
commedia dell’arte theater form, every
show has an unpredictable edge, said the
group’s founder.
“Something I find super exciting
about the form is that you have three
dimensions: the characters, the actors, and
the audience,” said Virginia Scott, who
formed the group in 2017.
The Renaissance art form, which
swept Europe between the 16th and 18th
centuries, starred actors wearing halfmasks
to represent different archetypes,
including the lusty old man, the cowardly
braggart, the wise woman, or the
buffoonish servant — broad characters
familiar to viewers of “The Simpsons” or
“Family Guy,” said Scott.
The shows involve a lot of improvisation,
so each player can put their own spin on a
mask’s character, said Scott.
“The way that one particular actor will
play the mask will be different,” she said.
The Commedia Company recreates the
historic style of the art form, but uses
modern storylines — instead of arranged
marriages, it might feature online dating
— and each performance revolves around
a certain theme, including “the internet”
or “Christmas.”
The group also improvises more than
original dell’arte actors did, Scott noted.
“We don’t know exactly what they
were doing, but they definitely did a lot
more plot than we do,” she said. “I’m
just personally, as an artist, not super
interested in plot.”
Instead of a set script, the actors use
the audience to build the story, asking
questions or redirecting a scene based on
crowd reactions, Scott said.
“We’re always playing directly to the
audience,” she said. “For each new show,
we do 20 hours of rehearsal only.”
Scott, an experienced dell’arte director
and teacher, founded the Commedia
Company with colleagues and students,
and the group has since grown to 10
members, who perform four shows
each year. Scott said she hopes to make
performances much more regular in 2021.
“I’m hoping to build the audience over
the next year to where we can support a
new show every week,” she said.
The Commedia Company at Cloud City
85 N. First St. between Wythe Avenue
and Berry Street in Williamsburg, www.
cloudcity.nyc. Jan. 25–27 at 7 pm. $12 ($10
in advance).
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