"You Have To Try The Mask, Not Play A Character"

Today we started with Commedia Dell'Arte.

The masks look like these.

• Il Capitano: Spanish with accent. Pretends to be tough.

• Doctore: "He see's someone dying but cures someone else...Total idiot."

• Pantalone: A miser. Rich, from Venice. Always pretends he's going to die. "Something between Peter Brook and Jacques Le Coq."

• Arlecchino: Nice boy. "Intellectually the level of Michael" (i.e. low).

• Brighella: Friend of Arlecchino. Thinks he's more intelligent than him. But actually "the intellectual level of Franck" (i.e. worse).

There are no female Commedia Dell'Arte masks as at the time they were popular (16th & 17th Century) women "were already beautiful" so they didn't need them. Philippe allows women in our class wear them however because he doesn't want a revolution to start...

The first exercise was for 10 women. Come out and wash clothes in the river. "Make us want to fuck you." ...Great start to the women's rights Philippe! None of the girls really got it. "You don't have to be pornographic! Just healthy and fun." Rocio got close. It's a thing of not pushing, nor denying what you are (my theory of what it takes to be 'sexy') whilst playing.

Then 10 men were asked to walk on stage like british officers with 3 umbrellas stuffed up their arse.

Hoynk!

After a wee bit Philippe stopped us and got somebody to put the mask of Il Capitano on my face. I was also handed a short thin stick. I then kept walking around like a pompous army officer. Stopping tall and spinning on the spot. I had a lot of fun with it! Philippe told me to "find a funny voice" and then to "talk with an accent". I attempted a Spanish one which was more of a bad Italian one, but it did the trick! "Play a bit in love...sensitive." Before I knew it I was whipping my stick around like Zorro saying "I (whip whip whip) love (whip whip whip) you (whip whip whip whip whip whip).

I was quite big and silly. Loud too. This is important. I had a good time. "Not so bad...surprising." Sometimes Il Capitano is played with an obvious erection underneath his pants. I had to smile a lot, and always show my teeth - even whilst speaking.

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Next exercise was to come out pretending to be a hypochondriac.

He got Thomas and Ric, who were best, to bend their body (Andre kicked them from behind to help) and to walk fast small steps in parallel as if they were on train tracks. But "don't slide your feet!" Then he got them to choose a favourite girl (Thomas chose Floor from Holland who is new and very beautiful) and to spend three minutes trying to touch her leg conspicuously. Ric was great pretending to be awfully frightened of basically everything, which allowed him to cuddle behind her and grab onto limbs for support...This bumbling fool is Pantalone.

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The same rules apply from the previous mask we learned about. Fixed point...horizon line...show the mask...isolation etc.

You can be big. "What we think is not realistic is normal in Italy!"

"Move to show the mask."

"Every night you have to discover the character at the same time as the audience...the actor has to follow the curiosity of the audience."

Of course the actor really does know what is going to happen but he has to "pretend to discover the play with the audience every night...if the audience senses you're ahead of them they will cry out for their money back."

"Show what part of the body plays...which part is in major?"

"You have to try the mask, not play a character...Discover...If you play the character you will be bad."

~

Finally we played with Arlecchino and Brighella. The two doofuses. Philippe got all those who had a go to start as an animal (cow or horse) then to speak with an accent - usually something funny and familiar to the actor. So Anna played an drunk Australian bloke, Katie a Southern American hick, and I played a Maori. I had a booming voice "TENA KOUTOU EVERYBODY!" I spoke in a 'chur bro' kind of way which was lots of fun.

Just talked about whatever - but the rhythm is what made it fun. And its fun playing with isolating different parts of the body to make him come alive. Like just swinging the arms. Gotta keep that head fixed! And up! And a big gaping open mouth! I imagine the mask would have helped a lot with the image too - because it kind of had lines on the forehead like a moko.

Loving mask! It's great being able to be really big!