Commedia Masks

(Above: A mask for il capitano.)

To further our knowledge of Commedia dell'arte, our teacher had us watch a video regarding the various elements that compose Commedia theatre. I will focus more on the use of masks in this particular entry. We learned that Commedia utilized exaggerated and grotesque masks where the process to use the masks required technique and imagination on the actor's part. The usage of Commedia masks followed a similar process as in any other type of theatre. The mask ritual consists of:

1. the actor observing the mask to study the character's attitudes and wants
2. the actor mirroring the mask in terms of facial expressions
3. the actor understanding the mask's objectives (If an actor is portraying pantalone, he needs to embody this money-hungry character.)
4. the actor needing to respect the mask by not fidgeting while he is in the mask

The flow-mask ritual requires the actor to have clear objectives in his voice and his gestures. When the actor is finished with the production, he goes out of the mask by taking off the mask so that he can resume being himself.