Pulcinella has always been associated with Naples. And as I mentioned in my previous post, this commedia dell’arte character is a symbol of the city and it’s embedded in the cultural fabric of the Napoletani. It is logical then, that …
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 …
Florence is considered the city of love so it makes sense that the two commedia dell’arte characters that belong to Florence are “the innamorati” (the lovers.) And because the lovers are young, infatuated with love, and desperately wanting to be …
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 …
Within the region of Veneto, in the province of Padova (Pauda) in Italy, there is a small town named Abano Terme. Most people know the town for its hot springs and mud baths, which is an important economic resource. I, …
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 …
If you are a person who is tuned into Commedia dell’arte, like me, as you walk throughout the city of Venice, you will soon noticed the many signs of this 17th-18th century acting style. It is all over the place. …
00016: THE SIGNS OF COMMEDIA DELL’ARTE IN VENICE Read more »
COMMEDIA INCOMPIUTA translates to “Unfinished Comedy.” The title is a reference to the philosophy that a play isn’t complete until an audience sees it. And I, being a playwright myself, identify with such philosophy; I had written many plays that …
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 …
During my second day at the Carnevale, I attended two events: the play “Arlecchino e Il Capitano Mangabambini” (Harlequin and the Eating-children Captain) and the lecture “Il Mascheraio” (The Mask Maker.) Both events were excellent choices to witness. “Arlecchino e Il …
00013: ARLECCHINO E IL CAPITANO MANGABAMBINI & IL MASCHERAIO Read more »
The first day I saw two shows: “Il Mercante de Venezia” and “Venezia Millenaria.” In English: “The Merchant of Venice” and “Millennial Venice.” The first play is by Shakespeare but the production was adapted to the Commedia dell’arte style, including …
00012: IL MERCANTE DI VENEZIA & VENEZIA MILLENARIA Read more »
One of the main programs at the Carnevale di Venezia 2023 is the VENEZIA OVVERO L’ARTE DELLA COMMEDIA (Venice o el Arte de la Commedia.) In this program, there are ten different Commedia dell’arte plays being presented in rotation in two …
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 …
You would think that for someone who doesn’t like the cold, going to Venice at the top of February should be a big ‘no-no.’ The reality is that when I started thinking of Venice as part of my sabbatical, I …
My sabbatical trip to Italy comes with many different stops and visits to different cities and towns. To help me organize my thoughts and visualize the trip, I bought a planner. The last time I used one of these was …
Because this was a staged reading, no set was needed. The director, however, decided that the image of the show should be present as a visual. He also added two music stands and a box that served as a “table” …
I’ve arrived in Wooster, OH as planned. In the next two days, I will be giving a workshop on “solo performance” and preparing for the staged reading. The artistic director of Teatro Travieso is also a full-time faculty at The …
Fall 22 has become the semester to fully work on both, my sabbatical play and the planning of my sabbatical trip. So far the one-person show has had three different re-writes, it has been read by three different theatre professionals: a …
I am creating this blog series as a means to document my sabbatical work, which is divided into two parts: 1: A trip to Italy in relation to Commedia dell’arte and its characters and 2: the writing of a new …
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 …
30 Days, 30 times! Today marks the end of my second 30-day Minimalism Challenge/Game. It was relatively easy to do but a little challenging in terms of how my life is at the moment and how the pandemic has make …
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 …
25 Days, twenty-five items I must say that this challenge is becoming a habit. I mean, nowadays I find myself looking at stuff and I automatically pick it up with the desire to “get rid of” it. I ask myself, …
Day 20, twenty items My calendar says that today is March 20, 2021, the beginning of spring. Most importantly, today marks 20 days of my 30-day 2.0 Minimalism Challenge. That’s right. I’m into the first twenty days of the challenge …
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 …
15 days, fifteen items I have arrived to the 15th day of the 30-day 2.0 Minimalism Challenge and once again I feel excited and motivated. The second time around is much better and I feel I am slowly accomplishing my …
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 …
Day 5, five items So the fifth day of the second 30-day challenge arrived. So far, so good. It’s easy. Now, instead of thinking what I want to get rid of, I just pick whatever I see that hasn’t been …
Day 1, one item As many of you know, I’m a playwright, and as part of my writing process sometimes I travel to do research on certain topics. For a long time I’ve been wanting to write a play about …
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 »
29th Day, twenty-nine items I cannot believe I’m one day away from completing the challenge. My office is almost down, but not the closet. I realized last night that the challenge was to declutter for 30 days, not declutter and …
28th Day, twenty-eight items Books! Books! And more books coming out of my office. There are three full containers, and the one at the bottom with the white lid is bigger than the two with dark lids. I counted the …
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 …
27 days, twenty-seven items I’m getting closer to the end of my 30-day Minimalism Game/Challenge. And the more I continue to clean, the more stuff I find that was once useful but now can be removed from my life. Because …
26 days, twenty-six items Growing up I always wanted to have a portfolio for school but those things were not in a my reach. Once I became I professor, I started buying portfolios. Some where really good, others were okay …
25 days, twenty-five items These two boxes have books, 122 books to be exact. Books that have already been claimed and will be delivered soon. I wanted to celebrate 25 days of the game/challenge by posting about some of the …
Just a quick entry. While it isn’t a big deal, it still is a huge deal. The fact that The Minimalist have liked one of my tweets in regards to the 30-day Minimalism Game is so reassuring and motivational. Let’s …