Contemporary Commedia dell'Arte

A living method for contemporary theatrical creation

Discover Commedia dell'Arte from the inside: through the body, the mask, physical comedy, slapstick and improvisation. Rooted in its historical tradition, the workshop explores the mechanisms that make comedy work and turns them into practical tools for the contemporary actor.

Conceived and lead by Fabrizio Paladin.

The workshop begins with the actor: body, rhythm, presence, action and comic timing. Through physical exercises, improvisation and mask work, participants discover how a character is constructed and, above all, why it works.

We explore the principal families and characters of Commedia dell'Arte, finding their essential posture, movement, rhythm, needs and comic mechanisms. Participants work with original leather masks created by Carlo Setti and Fabrizio Paladin, discovering how the limitation of the face transforms the entire body into theatrical language.

From there, technique becomes creation. Improvisations develop into scenes through physical comedy, slapstick, props, rhythm, music and stage combat. The aim is not simply to reproduce traditional forms, but to understand their mechanisms and use them to create living contemporary theatre.

Born in Italy in the sixteenth century, Commedia dell'Arte developed around professional actors, recurring characters, masks, physical language and improvisation within the structure of the canovaccio. Its principles travelled across borders and languages — and many of its mechanisms remain extraordinarily alive in contemporary comedy and physical theatre.