Melodrama and commedia dell’arte
Melodrama
A play or film characterised by exaggeratedly emotional or overdramatic scenes. is a style of theatre that was prominent in the Victorian era. It uses When a performer makes their actions, eg gestures and facial expressions, larger than life. and A perceived belief or idea about a person or group based on generalisations. characters to appeal to the audience’s emotions. It can be useful when working within the melodrama The type of story being told. to explore A classic and two-dimensional character, often seen as a cliché, eg an evil villain or a noble hero., eg an evil villain, a wronged maiden or a noble hero. Very clear and loud vocal delivery is needed in a melodrama, facing out to the audience, combined with large A movement of the head, hand or other body part to express meaning. and exaggerated An aspect of body language, using the face to convey emotions or feelings.. The The sequence of events in a narrative; a story. for a melodramatic devised piece would ideally be very sensational, designed to evoke emotion within the audience, with lots of The words said by a character in a story or play. .
Commedia dell’arte
Often performed outside with very few prompts and an improvised script. was established in Italy during the 16th century. It has very clear, simple and humorous plot lines, usually related to the themes of love, money or food. It is important to research the stock characters of that time, eg foolish elderly men and mischievous servants. Distinct costumes and masks were used to identify characters and should be an integral part of any performance within this genre.
Commedia dell’arte often includes:
- inventive Form of popular entertainment; generally humorous and fantastical storylines are underpinned by recognisable themes such as poverty, unemployment and neglect. performances
- acrobatics
- juggling
- wrestling
- Comedic, physical jokes often associated with the commedia dell’arte genre.
