Finding a Formula

The business model of Commedia dell’arte

Commedia dell’arte was a type of theatre performed outdoors in temporary venues by professional actors who were costumed and masked. Establishing themselves as companies, they created a successful business model, touring from town to town.

Jan Miel – Actors from the Commedia dell’Arte on a Wagon in a Town Square

Commedia dell’arte (literally the ‘comedy of professional artists’ Q23336, Q23582) was an early form of professional theatre that may have been an evolution of carnival and the rustic street guillare (itinerant satirical storytelling jesters). The roots of many of the characters and plots are much older, going back to the Roman comedies of Antiquity. What probably began as an informal entertainment organised through trade guilds, Commedia developed into the first professional touring companies, popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. Several features made Commedia a successful format, such that the members of the company could made a full-time living.

The performances were characterised by improvisation, but each actor knew by heart a lot of witty speeches, conceits, jokes and double entendres, which he kept ready for every suitable occasion. The scenarios of the comedies, which were based on plot outlines sketched out before the performances and used by the typecast professional actors, were full of folly and marked by crude erotic and implausible incidents, and ended with a happy ending. As a result, the company could adapt to the local situation, adjusting the content according to the audience, and dealing with any interruptions as they performed in public areas.

Commedia dell’arte was an actor and ensemble theatre, it did not serve an author or a text like other forms of theatre. The most important thing was the commercial success of the troupe; the actors themselves determined the parts of the play and its form and no longer subordinated themselves to the ideas of an author. The basis was the craft, the profession, therefore each actor could improvise from his professional experience, which is why commedia dell’arte is also called improvisational or impromptu theatre.

Peeter van Bredael Commedia dell arte Szene

The characters of the commedia usually represent fixed social types and stock characters, and the play consisted of gags, effects, stage action and movement on stage. These recurring elements made it possible for the play to be agreed upon more quickly, and frequently used passages of text that were already memorised. This type of performance was designed to connect quickly to an audience and have a wide appeal.

Beginning in Italy, the companies spread across much of Europe. They moved from town to town, to find new, paying audiences, often timing their arrival to taking advantage of fairs and celebrations, maximising the potential earnings. Wealthy patrons might summon the company to perform, but they were not always welcomed by the authorities, as the performances were often considered indecent, and there was a fear that travelling people spread disease. Companies were also careful not to outstay their welcome, preferring to leave while the public wanted more, to ensure they would be asked to return. The price of the performance would depend on the local situation, with higher prices in wealthier towns, or if the visit was shorter. Some civic authorities regulated the prices of dramatic performances.

The companies generally consisted of ten performers, to cover all the standard roles in Commedia. There would also be a ‘production team’, with carpenters, props masters, servants, nurses, and prompters, all travelling with the company. To move everything the company needed to perform and to live whilst on tour, the companies used large carts. Each company each had its impresse (like a coat of arms) reflecting something particular about the company – an early form of branding.

Commedia was a highly influential form of theatre, elements of which have been adopted by theatre-makers ever since. The idea of a fixed set of familiar, stereotypical characters, which the audience can see over and over again in slightly different – but ultimately the same – situations, is familiar today in sit-coms. But Commedia was also the template for professional, commercial touring theatre companies: a complete team of cast and crew (in modern terminology), travelling with everything they required to perform, and using a variety of strategies to gain an audience and ensure an income. This template is still familiar today.