What are stock characters?
A stock character is a fictional character that is based on a social stereotype. In Commedia dell'Arte, the stock characters draw on the cultural context of 16th Century Italy.
In Commedia dell'Arte, there were three main types of stock characters:
Activity 1 Instructions: 1. Open your workbooks 2. Watch the National Theatre Companys YouTube clip located to the right for a detailed introduction to the world of Commedia dell'Arte. As you watch, you will learn about all of the stock characters in Commedia, the masked and the unmasked, their status, their physical shapes and their characters. 3. Once you have watched the clip, write a 5 sentence summary on the content of the video in your workbooks Activity 2 Instructions: 1. Click on the first button to the right and go to the website 'Commedia dell'Arte' 2. Read through the pages to find out more about the history of Commedia Dell'Arte's stock characters 3. Download the quiz, and complete it to test your knowledge 4. Download the answer sheet and correct any mistakes 5. Save a copy of your completed quiz to your laptop |
National Theatre: This YouTube clip was made from a two day workshop with young actors held at the National Theatre with Didi Hopkins from Commediaworks.
The film was made by Deborah May.
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