Before spending my sabbatical days in Italy learning about Commedia dell’arte, I was already working on a one-person show, also as part of my sabbatical. I spent six months writing a script and having dramaturgical meetings with a theatre director. …
One of the main objectives of my sabbatical research, is the creation of a new theatre course on Commedia dell’arte. Using the many resources I was able to find, the information I was able to collect, and the different theatre …
The following transcript is based on conversations with a closed friend who is an alumni from Dell’Arte International. Our conversations centered around her training and the benefits of it. The conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity. –What made …
The following conversation with Tony Fuemmeler (interim head of training programs) took place over zoom. The content has been edited for clarity and space. –What can you tell me about Physical Theatre training for the actor? In general, physical theatre …
Welp, my trip to Italy has ended. I had the best of times; I have the worse of times. And regardless of the experiences, I am in fact, very thankful for the opportunity to spend so much time in a …
The last commedia dell’arte character on my list is commonly known as IL DOTTORE, “The Doctor.” His real name is “Il Dottore Balanzone” and he’s from Bologna. He’s part of the older generation of characters, “I Vecchi,” (The Old Ones) …
I’m starting this post with a disclaimer. There is place in the Bergamo region that claims to be “Arlecchino’s House” and also “Arlecchino’s Museum.” This place is known as “Casa Museo di Arlecchino.” The “house/museum” is located in the village …
00029: VALLE BREMBANA; TERRA DI ARLECCHINO, PART I Read more »
While Napoli embraces Pulcinella as part of its arts and culture, the entire region of Campagna also embraces the character as part of its popular pop culture. Bergamo, on the other hand, and the entire region have not made Arlecchino …
While the City of Bergamo doesn’t show the same “enthusiasm” for Arlecchino as Napoli shows for Pulcinella, Bergamo still recognizes Arlecchino as part of their culture and their art. Within half a block from Bergamo Centrale train station, a statute …
The city of Bergamo, in the region of Lombardy Italy, is located about 25 miles north of Milano and about 18 miles south of Switzerland. I mention its location because no other city is further north in Italy than Bergamo. …
One of the most entertaining commedia dell’arte characters who is also less known to most people is Il Capitano (The Captain.) Like Pulcinella, Il Capitano was born in Naples, although Napoletani don’t pay homage to him the way they do …
I knew I was going to see a sign of Pulcinella before arriving to Naples. After all, I was aware that somewhere in the city there is a statue dedicated to this commedia dell’arte character. What I didn’t know was that …
Every semester I teach one or two “Introduction to Theatre” classes. Within the class, at some point I get to talk about Italian Theatre during the Renaissance period. One aspect we discuss in class is Italian architecture, literature, and inventions …
One of the last plays I saw during the Carnevale was “Il carro dei comici.” This production was presented by Compagnia Pantakin da Venezia, which is the same company that presented VENEZIA MILLENARIA. This company is also responsible for the …
The commedia dell’arte festival during the Carnevale, was an international event that also included two different countries: France and Rumania. Because I arrived during the second week of the festival, I missed the theatre presentation from Rumania, which only participated …
Carlo Goldoni was an Italian playwright born in Venice in 1707. When he was a young man, his father, a doctor, moved to Perugia and then to Remini. It was there that Carlo Goldoni studied philosophy and law, fields that …
By the time some of you read this entry I will be at the airport. Or maybe I will be on cloud nine, or perhaps I will already be in Venice, trying to recall my rusty Italian language, one I …
When I first started my career in theatre, and I mean, going to school for it, I had no idea what “commedia dell’arte” was. When I first encountered it, I didn’t quite grasp its true meaning and didn’t think much …
Besides going to Italia to investigate Commedia dell’arte matters, I also have to do two more things during my sabbatical. Both are in relation to Commedia, of course. I must create a Commedia dell’arte class to become part of our …
I don’t know if you ever saw the TV show “What Not To Wear.” It was a reality series where to fashionistas ambush a person nominated by a family member. This person had its own unique fashion but in the …
I moved and I said to myself that I was going to write about that but never did. Then I said I was going to write about something else and I didn’t. I was also scheduled to do a “before …
I started running while attending college. Mainly because the first time I went to the college’s gym, I found myself very intimated by the other college guys who seemed to have muscular bodies, making them look like Adonis. A nerd, …
It’s 2006 in Arizona, USA and I’m attending a social retreat with my fraternity brothers. One of the fun activities we’re doing is tarot card and palm readings, and I just think this is a silly game I’m willing to …
Lately I’ve been incredibly quiet. I’ve kept myself from socializing and engaging with my inner and outside worlds. I have, for example, stop posting things on my social media outlets. My last post on Instagram was on April 30. My …
I have not written in a long time. I take that back. I have written… a lot. But I have not written for this blog. My last blog entry was April 11; I’m just one day shy of a month …
It’s been a week since my last post. I did this on purpose because I wanted some time off from writing my personal feelings on the page. This doesn’t mean I have not been actively out there in the meta …
That’s right! Today is my birthday and unlike other birthdays that are quietly acknowledge through a small gathering or a trip to New York or Disneyland, this birthday, on April 3, 2021, is being acknowledge with humility because I’m overwhelmed …
Today I woke up feeling good. And then, suddenly, I just started crying. I know I’m happy but there are moments when I simply start to cry out of the blues. I have been dealing with a lot since October …
I am not part of the AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islanders) community but being that such community is part of the Global Minorities in the country, I’m saddened and pissed off at the events in Atlanta. I don’t think I …
Last night my husband and I watched a new film from Taiwan, Your Name Engraved Herein. The film is about two high school students falling in love. The themes explored in the film, as well as the message, triggered memories …
10 days, ten items I’ve reached the first ten days of my 30-day 2.0 Minimalism Challenge. It’s been easy. I see something I had not used or seen in a long time, off it goes. It makes me laugh because …
During the months of February and March 2018 I was rehearsing a new play titled, The Cries of La Llorona. The play was an attempt to reach the Latinx audience and to introduce my own work to the college. Also, the …
It’s very strange but today, being the first of March, feels like a brand new day to me. I mean, I know it is a new day but I sense a force of positive energy and a desire to shout, …
30 days, thirty items Wow! I cannot believe it! I’m starting to write this post just ten minutes before 9 AM on Sunday, February 28, 2021, and I’m feeling incredibly accomplished because I was able to achieve one of my …
00049: 30-day Minimalism Game/Challenge Completed!!! Read more »
The last couple of weeks have been very emotionally tough. As I said in one of my earlier posts, I use writing as a tool to deal with my feelings. Yet, I have not written much about the burden I’ve …
I got my heart broken when I was a kid. I was in elementary school maybe in third of fourth grade. I don’t know; I don’t remember. My older sister had a best friend who used to come over the …
16 Days, sixteen items After 15 days of playing the 30-Day Minimalism Game, I’m starting to notice an awareness about the stuff I have in the house. This morning for example, I was in the bathroom and I noticed there …
Throughout the years, I have set up many intentions, plans, goals, yet many of my desires have ended right at the beginning: at the intention, at the plan, at the wish. This has happened for many reasons; some intentions are …
Day 12, twelve items By now, you know I love writing and so, in my many trips to the bookstore I have bought writing journals because my intentions are always to “jot things down.” I imagine myself in a café …