Commedia dell'arte  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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search Karel Dujardin, Commedia dell'Arte show (1657) (Louvre).
Commedia dell’arte (Italian pronunciation: [komˈmɛːdja
delˈlarte]) is a form of theatre characterized by masked “types”
which began in Italy in the 16th century and was responsible for
the advent of the actresses and improvised performances based on
sketches or scenarios. The closest translation of the name is
“comedy of craft[1]”; it is shortened from commedia dell’arte
all’improvviso, or “comedy of the craft of improvisation”.
Originally, it was called commedia all'improviso. This was to
distinguish the form from commedia erudita or learned comedy
that was written by academics and performed by amateurs.
Commedia dell’arte, conversely, was performed by professional
actors (comici) who perfected a specific role or mask.  Italian
theater historians, such as Roberto Tessari, Ferdinando Taviani,
and Luciano Pinto, believe commedia wa