Year 8 Drama - Commedia dell'Arte Incursion

Year 8 Drama students have been exploring the exciting world of Commedia dell’Arte, an Italian theatre style that dates back to the 16th century. This style has left a lasting impression on modern entertainment, with many popular television shows, movies and plays drawing inspiration from it. 

On Tuesday 9 May, our Year 8 students were treated to a delightful performance titled Venice in Love by Make a Scene, a renowned theatre education company based in Melbourne. The production was a fresh take on Commedia dell’Arte that kept true to its rich tradition, while also incorporating a uniquely Australian touch. 

The performance was filled with plenty of humour, energy, and audience interaction that kept everyone engaged throughout the show. The Make a Scene performers were highly skilled and talented, delivering a captivating and immersive experience for our students. 

The production was a perfect showcase of the versatility and timelessness of Commedia dell’Arte and our Year 8 students were lucky to have this unique opportunity to witness it firsthand. 

Our students were deeply impressed by the show, and some of them have shared their thoughts on it: 

The Year 8s got to experience an amazing Commedia Dell' Arte performance that really opened our eyes into a different type of theatre. Venice In Love was a performance with only two actors, although they portrayed many different roles such as Pantalona, Il Dottore, Arlecchino, Arlecchina, La Strega, Il Capitano, and Isabella (Puppet). The actors involved the audience in the performance and really got everyone hooked in the story through humour. A specific moment in the show that I remember, is when Il Dottore got Chloe up on stage and he dropped things and made her pick them up, and when the other characters gave references to the modern day, such as Tiktok and Will Smith – SOPHIE N N 8A 

I loved watching Venice in Love because the actors were amazing and I loved the creativity of the play. The masks were so cool and helped to reveal more of the characters’ personality. I especially liked the part when Pantalona interacted with the audience and was dancing around the stage eating marshmallows. The exaggerated movements helped us understand what was going on even when they were using Grammelot (gibberish). Overall, it was an amazing performance and one that I won't forget – RUBY B 8B 

Venice in Love was a very funny, light-hearted example of Commedia dell'Arte. I really liked it and I thought it was funny. Personally, my favourite part of the show was during the scene where Pantalona was chasing Il Capitano because she drank the love potion. I thought that the way they used the stage and expressed the character was smart. During this performance I learnt how physical and expressive Commedia dell'Arte is, and how important it is to work as a team and accept offers made during the performance – NICOLE R 8B 

Mason and Lily were very talented and did an amazing job when performing Venice in Love. I thought the performance was very entertaining and funny, the part I found the funniest is when Arlecchino drank the love potion and fell in love with Ms Holden. Mason and Lily played the characters very well and when they changed characters it was like they were a different person on stage – CINDY Z 8C 

Kelsey Holden

Drama Years 6 – 9