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Period: 1500 to
Renaissance Italy 1500
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1545
Sebastiano Serlio
In 1545, "Architettura" was published by Sebastiano Serlio. It explained how a room could be turned into a magical place to perform. The drawings included in the book showed his idea of three types of settings: tragic, comic, and pastoral. These combined Renaissance perspective painting and classical theatre architecture. This book was very important because at this time there were no permeant theatres, so the Italians had to set up temporary spaces in large halls of state (Brockett, et. al). -
Intermezzi Absorbed into the Opera
Intermezzi's originated from the desire to shift scenery in performances. They were elaborate compliments that normally contained major music and dance features. These were eventually absorbed into the opera around the 1590s. They wanted to recreate the bond of music and speech from Greek tragedy. Opera was a useful medium used to rarefied the Italian courts atmosphere. The use of intermezzi's in the opera attracted more audiences and was a big part of the culture at the time (Brockett et. al). -
Commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte was a form of theatre that was open to the public and professional. The dialogue was improvised, and the plot was based off commedia erudita, known as learned drama. It is unclear where commedia dell'arte originated from, but by 1600, companies were playing in many European countries. This form of theatre was so unique from the rest because it could be played almost anywhere, the actors were the heart of the shows, and almost everyone could enjoy it (Brockett et. al). -
Teatro Farnese proscenium arch
Proscenium arches came to life when the pictorialized settings started needing a frame in order for the audience to not see around the setting. When the arches first started being used, they were temporary, but it was quickly realized that permanent arches were a smart path to take. Teatro Farnese is a theatre with the oldest known permanent proscenium arch. This is an important part of history because these arches are still standard feature in theatres today (Brockett et. al). -
Public Opera House
In 1637, Venice made history and made a public opera house give the same experience as the court theatres. The appeal of the relationship between music and speech was created from intermezzi's. The opera was a way to combine drama, music, dance, spectacles, lighting, and other special effects. The opera made perspective scenery and picture-frame stage popular. The action of Venice was important because these were originally not available to the public, only for the courts (Brockett et. al). -
Italy’s Bibiena family
Ferdinando, Francesco, Giuseppe, Antonio, and Carlo were the members of the Bibiena family. They were the ones to introduce angled perspective. They used a perspective with two vanishing points, when previously all up until this time stage design was based on one vanishing point. These sets were used to make it seem like you were looking at a structure, like a house, from the corner instead straight on. Their sets were so big, if gave the audience that feeling of fantasy. -
Carlo Goldoni writes scenario's
Carlo Goldoni was born in 1707 and died in 1793. He was a famous comic dramatist but didn't start writing for commedia companies until 1743. He believed commedia had become hackneyed and vulgar. The abandonment of masks was something he also fought for because he believed it limited the actors not being able to show facial expressions. Commedia was popular during the sixteenth century and Carlo's attempts to tweak them made even more people have a new interest in it (Brockett et. al). -
The Servant of Two Masters
Goldoni was the writer of this performance. Although this commedia dell'arte differs from the others because the dialogue is written out, the actors were still allowed to improvise. In this, middle class characters are treated with respect and the men are less sensible than the women. The plot relies on disguise, misunderstanding, coincidence, etc. This performance is important because it stands as a testament to the appeal of commedia dell'arte that continuously lives on (Brockett et. al). -
Philip James de Loutherbourg
Philip James de Loutherbourg was a painter for David Garrick. He was a scenic designer for the Durry Lane Theatre located in London. He is known as the person who changed the orientation of design to the landscape era after from the architectural era, which ended the Baroque in England (Britannica). -
Death of commedia
Goldoni and Gozzi battled over how the scenarios for commedia should be presented which got new interest in commedia for a bit, but around 1775 this theatre mode quickly faded. It's unclear the reason why it faded out, but it is thought that it either got overfamiliar after its 200-year run or because it was too broad. This phase signaled a change in time and societal preferences. But it was not the end for commedia, as it resurfaced in the second half of the twentieth century (Brockett et. al). -
1800