Resources

an historic colour illustration of two long nose masked characters dancing

Free Downloads

Study Pack: A Brief History of the Commedia dell’Arte

A concise introduction to the history and origins of commedia dell’arte

Study Pack: Commedia dell’Arte Characters

An introduction to the origins of the stock characters of the commedia dell’arte

lines of text from the timeline

Poster: A Timeline of Commedia dell’Arte

A timeline of key historical developments in commedia dell’arte and relevant European history.

a pictorial chart of the houses of commedia dell Arte

Poster: The Houses of Commedia dell’Arte

A foundational framework for understanding the character relationships and hierarchies within the ‘family’ of commedia dell’arte.

Guidance Sheet: The Seven Levels of Exaggeration

A rehearsal/teaching tool to explain the levels of exaggeration required for different genres, drawing inspiration from the work of Lecoq, Michael Chekov and Berkoff.

Study Packs

An Illustrated Guide to the Movement of the Commedia dell’Arte

by Cheryl Stapleton, Learning Through Theatre

  • This e-book is a resource for teachers, directors and performers that provides a form of sketched notation for the movement repertoires and character interplay. Commedia dell’Arte is a highly physical performance style and through adopting the body shape and movement patterns of the characters, much information about the personality can be discerned. It is not enough to wear a mask on your face: a complete physical transformation needs to take place before the character comes to life for an audience and this guide will show you how this can be achieved.

    “When teaching Commedia dell’Arte, I find a common obstacle faced by students is remembering the movements and mannerisms for each character. I developed a simple sketched notation to use in class that helped with recall. This guide pulls together all these sketches into a handy reference guide for others to use. Through repetition, movement memory kicks in, allowing the mind to be free to play and react to the narrative.”

    – Cheryl Stapleton

Buy Now:

£4.99

for Personal Use:

£19.99

for Educational Use:

An educational licence permits duplication for teaching.

The e-book is sent as a PDF by email after payment; delivery is manual and may take up to 24 hours. IMPORTANT: If you want your purchase sent to an email different from your PayPal address, add that info at purchase or email info@learningthroughtheatre.co.uk.

Incredibly useful! This resource is jam-packed with information that my students have found invaluable. Thank you!
— A. Stebworth, Drama Teacher

A-Level Study Pack

‘Accidental Death of An Anarchist’

for study of Gavin Richards’s adaptation of Dario Fo’s play

  • This condensed study pack provides detailed notes for practical study and revision at A-Level (relevant for AQA, Edexcel, Eduqas).

    • Dario Fo’s - background

    • Detailed character profiles drawing on qualities from commedia dell’arte, archetypes, animals, the breath and rhythmic movement traits

    • Outlines of the commedia stock characters for rehearsal inspiration

    • Techniques for farcical comedy

    • Comic devices with specific examples

£15.00

The e-study pack is sent as a PDF by email after payment; delivery is manual and may take up to 24 hours. IMPORTANT: If you want your purchase sent to an email different from your PayPal address, add that info at purchase or email info@learningthroughtheatre.co.uk.

Purchase once, share with all your students.

🎁 Special Offer - get this free when you book a workshop

Having such in depth information about the characters and their roots in commedia dell’Arte was really helpful ... As a director, this helped me engage with and get a more detailed understanding of the characters and allowed me to offer more targeted feedback and guidance for my cast...
— Student director, University of Stirling

A-Level Study Pack

‘A Servant to Two Masters’

for study of Lee Hall’s adaptation of Carlo Goldoni’s play

  • This complete 62-page study pack provides detailed notes for practical study and revision of ‘A Servant To Two Masters’ at A-Level - ideal for AQA. Aimed at supporting students to articulate, on paper, how comedy can be created. The pack contains:

    • Overview of commedia dell’arte as a genre

    • Commedia timeline

    • Historical context in which Goldoni was writing, plus play synopsis

    • Character profiles detailing commedia origins, plus movement, voice and more

    • Performance techniques and comic devices explained with specific text examples

    • Stage movement diagrams

    • Lazzi from within the play identified

    • Exam style revision questions & model answers

£45.00

The e-study pack is sent as a PDF by email after payment; delivery is manual and may take up to 24 hours. IMPORTANT: If you want your purchase sent to an email different from your PayPal address, add that info at purchase or email info@learningthroughtheatre.co.uk.

Purchase once, share with all your students.

The pack is brilliant - thank you so much. This will be so useful for them [my students] – and me – now and in the future. I would say it is an ideal resource for teaching Commedia.
— C. Odell, Head of Drama, Northampton School for Girls