I'll agree with you about the difficulty level marcus. I had no idea it would be as demanding as it is both physically and mentally. The skill it takes to perform comedia leads me to wonder why it hasn't had more of a following in the states. I can only imagine what it looks like when done professionally but i'd assume it absurdly entertaining. Not only must the actor keep the physical and mental characteristics in mind but he/she must be quick witted enough to produce entertaining material. But in the long run, this creative freedom can only become increasingly fun for the actors and spectators. For the actor, the determination to get as mentally close to that character as possible would help to ease the improvisational pressure but also lend to more entertaining options for them to play with. Ultimately, it is the actors character and they would know them best. For the audience, the knowledge that it is all on the spot improve would make the funny moments all the more hilarious. Audiences want to be impressed by wit and quick thinking.
The stock characters put me off from comedia initially but that was only until i found that they were molds for characters rather than the specific character themselves. The character types makes it much more exciting to be able to compare Capitanos or Pantelones and also have multiple of one character type in the show. From the first class i've realized how versital a tool comedia really is. I'm looking forward to being introduced to more characters.
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There's a sense of, "anything can happen" in a good commedia piece that's hard to replicate in other forms of theatre. Often, though, that comes at the price of lacking the kind of polish we're used to seeing in a performance. Commedia is definitely a "rough theatre".
ReplyDeleteAs for why it's not done a lot in the US, I think the extensive training needed and the lack of financial options play big roles.