Dramatic Features Blending dramatic features from both the east and the west traditions, Tales of Fool incorporate elements from Cantonese opera and commedia dell'arte. The two genres display stark differences regarding such aspects as narrative styles and props. Apart from viewing a historical happening from sundry perspectives, audience may conjure up disparate reflections inspired by the means and techniques of performance of the actors. Commedia Dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte refers to improvised theatre performances rooted in comedies. Having only plots’ outlines instead of complete scripts, actors make up their own lines on the stage and fabricate character-related Lazzi to mesmerise their audience. Lazzo, or in plural lazzi, is the Italian expression for joke. Traditionally, characters of commedia dell'arte regularly present devious servants, merchants blinded by love, and military officers with superficial courage. Apart from struggling for survival, all these individuals display a double-faced quality, for instances, being innocent and cunning at the same time. On commedia dell'arte, theatre master Jacques Lecoq made the following remarks, “…in the commedia dell’arte, it breaks free from the limits of everyday behaviour, reaching an imaginary dimension.”* In an exaggerated style, dramatic elements of our routine activities expand outward indefinitely. The emotions of characters ceaselessly and abruptly alter from one particular state to another. Audience would therefore discover the close resemblance between physical gestures of extreme joy and extreme sadness. Colombina masks are frequently used in Tales of Fool; actors have to depict their characters with gestures. Meanwhile, wearing the colombina mask, the actor will abandon his/her own distinctiveness and merge into the character entirely. This is exemplified by the tone and tempo during the reciting of dialogues. __________
* Jacques Lecoq, trans. David Bradby, The Moving Body (Le Corps Poétique), London / New York: Bloomsbury (2009), p.119.
Jacques Lecoq Born on 15 December 1921, Jacques Lecoq is the most representative figure in theatre education. His studies in physical structures and method of exercising began when he was functioning as an athlete and physiotherapist during World War Two. Afterwards, he founded the École Internationale de Théâtre in Paris in 1956. Adopting a gradual teaching approach and taking inspiration from commedia dell'arte, Lecoq uncovered the possibility of physical theatre, including the invention of neutral and expressive masks, the practice of performances with and without spoken verbatim, and eventually his researches in clowns.
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Tales of Fools · 5 ·
