RCCU is beginning its 10th anniversary year teaching Classical Commedia dell'Arte as close to its original form as we believe it was performed in the 1500's to 1600's. Students develop their personal historical Commedia dell'Arte characters and style with their individual qualities.
Areas of concentration
Commedia dell'Arte characters
History of the characters; their movement and gestures, dances,improvisation, lazzi, mask work, mask making, physical skills, prop manipulation, rhythm, scatology, scenario, and more; all integrated.
Arlecchino
Pantalone
Dottore
Capitano
Brighella
Lovers
Scenario & Improvisation
Much of our scenario and improvisation work will be taken from our own translation of three Flaminio Scala scenarii* believed to be performed by the legendary Gelosi Company 1572 to 1604, plus an anonymous scenario from 1611 we discovered this year.
Guest Teachers & Artists
Meggi Sweeney Smith, a member of the New York Baroque Dance Company will be teaching dances performed by the Commedia dell'Arte actors of Northern Italy in the late 1500's.
Paul Shipper singer, instrumentalist, actor, vocal expert and opera director. Former faculty member of Mannes College of Music and has performed in all 50 states, as well as 17 other countries. Paul's concentration will be on voice production for both speaking and singing, diction and playing simple instrumental music from the Commedia dell'Arte era.
Co-founder of RCCU, Stanley Allan Sherman will lead this intensive. He is known for expertise in Commedia dell'Arte, clown theater, mask performance, mime, movement dynamics, mask making and lazzi. He has directed, performed, produced and acted as well as assisting other artists in the development of original shows. In NYC he acted Off Broadway for 4 years and has appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien 41 times in comedy bits. He teaches Commedia dell'Arte throughout the United States and internationally. Stanley is a early graduate of Ecole Jacque Lecoq, Theatre Mime Movement in Paris, France when Philippe Gaulier taught there and he worked with Carlo Mazzone-Clementi.
Class Time
Week 1 & 2: 90 hours of class time
Week 3: over 38 hours of scenario time
The third week is all scenario, working and performing complete scenarii*
Total: over 128 hours of Commedia dell'Arte
Come and enjoy the Effort Momentum Risk & Joy*
$1,395
$95 reserves your place
