Commedia dell'Arte, its Structure and Tradition

Commedia dell'Arte, its Structure and Tradition chronicles a series of discussions between two renowned experts in commedia dell'arte – master practitioners Antonio Fava and John Rudlin.

These discussions were recorded during three recent visits by Fava to Rudlin’s rural retreat in south west France. They take in all of commedia dell'arte's most striking and enduring elements – its masks, its scripts and scenarios, and most outstandingly, its cast of characters. Fava explores the role of each stock Commedia character and their subsequent incarnations in popular culture, as well as their roots in prominent figures of their time. The lively and wide-ranging conversations also take in methods of staging commedia dell'arte for contemporary audiences, the evolution of its gestures, and the collective nature of its theatre-making.

This is an essential book for any student or practitioner of commedia dell'arte – provocative, expansive wisdom from the modern world's foremost exponent of the craft.

John Rudlin is the author of Commedia dell'Arte: An Actor's Handbook and Commedia dell'Arte: A Handbook for Troupes.

Antonio Fava is a world-renowned teacher, practitioner and scholar of commedia dell'arte, based in Reggio Emilia, Italy.