SOURCE: Andrews, Richard. “Improvised Comedy.” In Scripts and Scenarios: The Performances of Comedy in Renaissance Italy, pp. 169-99. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.

In the following excerpt, Andrews discusses the bases for improvisation in the commedia dell'arte, providing examples of the short and long frameworks in which actors could create scenes.

Definitions and Evidence

In 1567, the Duchy of Mantua was visited by two competing theatre companies, both including women: one was actually directed by an actress whose stage name was ‘Flaminia’, and the other run jointly by a ‘Pantalone’ (possibly Giulio Pasquati) and the actress Vincenza Armani. The artistic and commercial rivalry between the groups was made more interesting for the public by the fact that each leading lady was being courted by a different aristocratic patron—it is reported that the whole city was divided between fans of ‘Flaminia’ and supporters of Vincenza. As well as mounting improvised...