When I studied at the Dell’arte school of Physical theatre, our Commedia teacher (Michael Fields) would be coaching a scene or an improvisation and then suddenly say “Ah– the Ghost of Chekhov has entered the room.” This was a short hand way of saying he meant that your performance had descended from a heightened state into naturalism or traditional acting, […]
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Flaminio Scala was an actor/manager of one of the most pre-eminent commedia companies of his time. A contemporary of Shakespeare, he was an innovator in that he actually wrote his scenarios down. Before Scala, scenarios were never written down as they were afraid of being stolen- they were the gold with which you could make hay, and what distiniguished your […]
Read moreThe clown scene is starting to pick up in DC– there’s a monthly clown cabaret that has formed under the direction of Mathew Pauli Rich Potter, and Karen Beriss. The second Monday of the month, people are encouraged to come and perform 10 minutes of clown work for audiences at 8 pm at The Shop at Fort Fringe – 607 […]
Read moreGiorgio Strehler was the founder (along with Paolo Grassi) and director of the Piccolo Teatro di Milano. Some would say that he is the father of modern commedia. I don’t think I would go that far, as there were a number of disparate Italian groups working after the war that were trying to figure out how to resurrect Italian pride, […]
Read moreA Message from Dario FoÌ€ (This message was written on behalf of Worldwide Commedia day) I reprint it here by permission as one of the official events of that day! It is a well-known fact that by the end of the 16th century the intensified repression of the Counter Reformation gave rise to a virtual diaspora of Italian theatre companies, […]
Read moreDario Fo is one of the most pre-eminent comic writers and performers of our times. He’s written a number of plays that have been performed throughout the world and seem to have a universal appeal. When he performs in Italy, he performs in soccer stadiums– partially because that’s where enough people can come and see him, and partially because he […]
Read moreCarlo Mazzone-Clementi was the founder of the Dell’arte school of Physical Theatre in Blue Lake California. He was a childhood friend of Amletto Sartori, Marcel Marceau’s first touring partner, worked with Jacques LeCoq, and performed with Dario Fo, Franca Rama, and Giorgio Strehler at the Piccolo Teatro in Milan. In 1959 he came to the United States to teach commedia, […]
Read moreAfter World War II, the Italian intellectual community was searching for their cultural and historical roots. A number of theatre people started to explore commedia dell’arte, which at that time when it was performed was being done as stodgy museum pieces really devoid of life (think bad Moliere)Â A group of artists, including Giorgio Strehler, Dario Fo, Jacques LeCoq, Marcello […]
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The first place to start to learn about Commedia are books. Amazon lists 325 books under the search “Commedia Dell’arte” You can browse all of those books here: Commedia Books on Amazon Below I pick 6 that I particularly like, and that I think are particularly great for both experts and novices alike.  I welcome your own recommendations in the […]
Read moreWhile it’s not officially Commedia Dell’arte month anywhere else, here on clownlink we’ve declared it officially commedia dell’arte month! This is in honor of the second annual International Commedia Dell’arte Day, which will happen on February 25 this year. In honor of that day, each day this month, we’ll present a link of some sort to something commedia related. We […]
Read moreI saw this back at the 2010 NY Clown Theatre Festival at the Brick Theatre and I can highly recommend it. You can read my review here. You can also see some photographs and a video interview by Photographer to the Clowns Jim Moore on his site Vaudevisuals. Jeff and Buttons have TONS of new material and now they have […]
Read moreChristopher Lueck, the man behind the New York Downtown Clown Revue, has a new project that he’s calling the Clown Summit. For the next five days, he’s going to release 1 free interview a day that he’s done with master clowns, talking about American Clowning past, present, and future. The interviews will be available for 24 hours only, for free, […]
Read moreMARCH 2011 WORKSHOP: 4 THURSDAYS IN MARCH: 3, 10, 17 & 24th from 6:30-8:30 PM. Cost $150. Click the postcard images below for more info, or visit Nina’s Website: http://www.ninalevine.com “FINDING YOUR INNER CLOWN†Dare to be laughed at and love it! What kind of clown are you? Maybe you’re a bossy clown, a shy clown, a tired clown or […]
Read more(This is the only article I found in English that featured Bello Nock via Google)Â Not sure if the English speaking world doesn’t care about Monaco, or Google is not finding it. )Â Anyway, Congrats Bello! http://english.ruvr.ru/2011/01/24/41046470.html At circus festival in Monaco, Russians win 3 awards Karina Ivashko Jan 24, 2011 20:01 Moscow Time An international circus festival is now […]
Read moreMark Gindick, who has become a mainstay at the Big Apple Circus (first as an understudy/replacement for Grandma, and now as a clown under his own name) has his first solo show at Suny Purchase next weekend. Mark is revisiting some gags and ideas that he started in his show 10 years ago ( How To Be A Man) which […]
Read moreNow, I’m not there, but it seems that everything in Monte Carlo is coming up Bello– even the royalty. Here’s a photo of Prince Albert II sporting Bello’s distinctive hairstyle from the local newspaper.
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