The Scenario (Il Canovaccio)

The action takes place in Bologna, Italy. Pantalone, a rich but stingy Venetian, has decided to pianta-leone, start a business, a restaurant in Bologna. Here he employs two zanni, Brighella and Arlecchino. Business is good, but his relationship with his son, Flaviano, is bad. Flaviano has fallen in love with Beatrice, the daughter of Il Dottore, Pantalone's life long nemesis, and so Pantalone forbids the lovers to marry. Beatrice is heartbroken and so she flees to Barcelona where she falls in love with Il Capitano. Meanwhile, Il Dottore, who is also the town health inspector, has given Pantalone an ultimatum - get the lovers back together or be forced out of business! Pantalone, with the help of his servants, has three days to accomplish this mission. The audience is introduced to the elements of Commedia dell'Arte: stock characters, masks and lazzi to name a few. They will also sample some of the delights of Bologna, including a PastaChef class on how to make the perfect Bolognese sauce!

Stock Characters

Arlecchino (Zanni 2/ servant, low status character)

Brighella (Zanni 2/ servant, low status character)

Pantalone (Rich Venetian merchant, high status character)

Il Dottore (An academic in Florence, high status character)

Il Capitano Juan Jose Mattacuore Heartbreaker the 31st (Spanish militant, high status character)

Flaviano (One of the Lovers, Pantalone's Son)

Beatrice (One of the Lovers, Il Dottore's Daughter)

What people have said about our shows...

The performance was fast paced and engaging. The characters were showcased hilariously - I loved it!

Jane Geerling, Roxburgh College, Roxburgh Park

Click here for more testimonials!

Suitability

This performance is adaptable for Primary (Grade Prep) through to Secondary (VCE) for students of Drama and/or Italian.

Resources & Curriculum Material

When you book our performance you will receive some material to help you prepare your students. We are in the process of developing resources for our Commedia dell'Arte performances for Drama and Italian and we hope to make them available in the new year. In the meantime, feel free to copy and paste information from our website to create your own handouts or direct your students to our Commedia dell'Arte page.

Performance Requirements

• Please allow 60 minutes for the performance, including question time.

• Please provide a performance area (minimum of 4 x 4 metres), excluding audience seating.

• Please allow the performers 60 minutes to set up, in the space, without the audience present, and 30 minutes to pack up.

• We advise that Make A Scene and/or its directors, employees, agents, contractors or assigns will not be legally responsible for the supervision of the participants. We insist that a teacher or an adequate number of teachers are present to actively supervise the entire performance.

• Photographs may be taken, however, we ask that the performance not be filmed under any circumstances. Filming the performance is in breach of our intellectual  property rights and may result in legal action.

• Any photographs taken of the performance must not be published without prior written consent from Make A Scene.

   

  Bookings

  Contact us to tentatively book dates then download the Performance for Schools Booking Form. Complete and post the paperwork to: Make A Scene, PO BOX 1728, Preston South, 3072 or scan and email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

   

  Cost

  The cost (including GST) is minimum $605 per performance for 100 students or less. Add $6.05 per extra student. Please note that there is an additional cost for schools located outside the CBD.

  Please refer to our payment policy in the FAQ for Commedia dell’Arte Performance and Workshops for Schools.