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Commedia-Servant, Exam help, Year 13

Performer focused questions

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Examiner’s say the Indicative content for a performer focused question could include [remember you wouldn’t be expected to cover it all!!]

  • physical appearance, age, height, build, colouring, facial features
  • vocal qualities, pitch, pace, tone, accent
  • delivery of specific lines: interaction with others, eye contact, spatial relationships, physical contact
  • use of space
  • Their relationship with other KEY characters
  • movement, gesture, gait, posture, energy, demeanour and facial expressions
  • style/use of costume/make-up; of props and accessories
  • specific performance ideas clearly calculated to reveal the specified interpretation in key scenes.

SAMPLE PERFORMER QUESTIONS

Acting style questions:

Activity #1 Read and discuss what the difference between these types of question are?

  1. As a performer, discuss how you would perform the role of XXXX in two sections of the play in order to convey your interpretation of the character to the audience. You must make specific reference to the social, cultural and/or historical context of So2M in your answer.
  2. As a performer, discuss the comic effects you would wish to create through your presentation of XXXX. How would you perform the role in at least two sections in order to achieve your aims? You must make specific reference to the social, cultural and/or historical context of So2M in your answer.

Activity #2 [With you allocated character]

THINK – PAIR – SHARE

What stock character(s) do they fall into?

How would you play him? (age, appearance, costume, prop)

Where’s your character from?

Your interpretation – using Social and Historic CONTXT to JUSTIFY

How would they MOVE and SPEAK? (overview – most of the time.)

Activity #3

Write an introduction paragraph that would go AFTER the GENERIC ONE.

What other Pearls of Wisdom (Historic, Social, Cultural) can you think of to work into your answer?

Characters to cover: Brighella, Smeraldina, Beatrice/Federigo, Florindo,

Activity #4

Make a plan of the 2-3 ‘GO TO’ scenes that would give COMPLETE answer.

Activity #5

Write 2 para graphs (samples)

One from EACH section you have chosen.

You can do this either

  1. Individually
  2. As a small group with ONE scribe but everyone contributing ideas and sentences.

This will be written up in an ICT Room and made available to EVERYONE on the STUDENT SHARED AREA. {so make it your best effort – logical structure, quotes, occasional Pearls of Wisdom and LOTS of acting terminology}

Activity # 6

You present your Introduction to the class as a lecture.

Someone speaking / reading and the other(s) acting out

Commedia-Servant, Exam help, Year 13

Comedy Question – sample

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Below is a sample question about COMEDY and an example pf 1 Introduction and 1 paragraph EACH for the 2 sections that the question calls for.

As a director or designer, discuss the production methods you would employ in order to create comedy in at least two sections of the play. You must make specific reference to the social, cultural and/or historical context of So2M in your answer.

INTODUCTION

Although Goldoni tried to ‘reform’ the tired and fantastical elements of Commedia, his 1745 play ‘The Servant to 2 Masters’ (So2M) is still full of physical routines, humourous beatings and polished, character-driven ‘lazzos’. These were the staple elements of traditional Commedia – the popular theatre form of the previous 200 years.  In this fast paced comedy, I would direct the action and actors to preserve that highly visual, exaggerated and physical style that originated from the street performances of Commedia, where audiences were noisy and free to walk away and where language barriers made physical story-telling all the more important. As Goldoni wrote the play as a ‘star-vehicle’ for the comic actor Sacchi, the scenes that I would focus most on are Truffaldino scenes: the serving of the 2 Masters and the lazzo of sticking the envelope with the chewed up bread.

BODY (2-3 paragraphs)

The most famous comic routine is the Serving of the 2 Masters (Act 2 Scene 12) – a farcical  set piece of fast entrances and exits where comedy can be increased through interactions with props, characters and the audience. I would stage the scene so that the 2 Masters are behind doors (Stage Left and Right) and then have a Central door up stage that leads to the kitchen. This immediately makes Truffaldino have to cover great distances in carrying the dishes. As the pace quickens I would have the dishes thrown by the waiters at the kitchen door and have Truffaldino skillfully catch them just before he reaches each of the Masters doors. Then once he’s collected dirty plates he’ll throw them to the waiters who I’d direct to be in confusion with dishes dropping to the floor or smashing. This comic business reinforces the idiocy of Truffaldino and highlights his anarchic and playful nature. The pace will get quicker towards the end of the scene, the Waiters will be shouting, the Master are screaming Truffaldino’s name and making him dash across the stage. Once the final dirty plate is collected Truffaldino will present himself downstage to the audience. His ‘Thank you’ will be triumphant and he will bow exaggeratedly as a cue for the audience to applaud.

BODY (2-3 paragraphs)

[There would be time for another paragraph about this section – perhaps the status inversion / power play between the 1st Waiter and Truffaldino, OR the lazzo of the jelly (Truff’s playful, childlike fixation on something vaguely rude) OR the breaking of social conventions (dividing up the rissoles on the floor and eating the last one himself).

Lazzos were pieces of comic business often employed to create comedy, reveal character traits but not necessarily move the plot forward. Earlier (Act 1 Scene 8) Truffaldino is trying to reseal his Master’s letter with chewed up bread. This lazzo works using the comic ‘rule of 3’ and having accidentally swallowed his “emergency rations” TWICE I’d direct Truffaldino to show increasing signs of desperation “It’s just not natural having to do this.” I’d direct Truffaldino to use his own brand of logic – he does afterall call himself the “Brains of Bergamo”. He’ll find some string in his pocket, tie it to the tiny crumb and then swallow it taking a long time to suck up the string like spaghetti. All of this is done downstage for the enjoyment of the audience. Then he’ll draw the string from his mouth – it can get stuck – but eventually the crumb comes out and his shouts ‘Got you’ in triumph. He’d then turn his back to the audience to “seal the bastard”. This routine reveal’s Truffaldino’s originality and clever trait as well as reinforcing early in the play his desperate hunger. This trait comes from the origins of this character representing the unemployed peasants. It also sets up the ‘punch line’ of this routine – namely that he should show to the audience the mangled envelope which so obviously has been tampered with and act as if he’s going to get away with pulling the wool over his Master’s eyes.

[If time allowed you might go to a third section – maybe something about PARODY – how to exaggerate a character (the OLD MEN or LOVERS) to get the audience to laugh AT this behaviour]

There’s so much comedy of different sorts – it’s just that most of it is not jumping off the page as the script focuses on the words. You HAVE TO IMAGINE the comic business and make the examiner realise you’ve developed your own ideas.

Commedia-Servant, Exam help, Year 13

Servant – exam style questions for revision

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SERVANT TO 2 MASTERS – Sample questions A level

[Answer 1 from 2 ]*If you’re lucky you’ll get a choice of performer and a director

YOU WOULD NEVER DO A DESIGN QUESTION

Acting style questions:

  • As a performer, discuss how you would perform the role of XXXX in two sections of the play in order to convey your interpretation of the character to the audience. You must make specific reference to the social, cultural and/or historical context of So2M in your answer.
  • As a performer, discuss the effects you would wish to create through your presentation of XXXX. How would you perform the role in at least two sections in order to achieve your aims? You must make specific reference to the social, cultural and/or historical context of So2M in your answer.
  • As a performer, discuss how you would want your audience to respond to the role of XXXX in the course of the play. How would you perform the role in at least two sections of the play in order to achieve your aims? You must make specific reference to the social, cultural and/or historical context of So2M in your answer.

These questions MAY seem the same but there are subtle differences? What are they? [TIP: Extract the key words that are different – and discuss in pairs.]

Directing style questions:

  • As a director discuss the production or performance methods you would employ in at least two sections of the play in order to create the sense of farce required by the play. You must make specific reference to the social, cultural and/or historical context of So2M in your answer.
  • As a director, discuss the production and/or performance methods you would employ in order to create your preferred effects in at least two sections of the play. You must make specific reference to the social, cultural and/or historical context of So2M in your answer.
  • As a director, discuss the production methods you would employ in order to create comedy in at least two sections of the play. You must make specific reference to the social, cultural and/or historical context of So2M in your answer.

* Use the indicative content sections of the Mark Scheme to guide students.

Students must demonstrate an understanding of:

  1. a directorial or performance perspective
  2. a clear focus on the creation of preferred effects
  3. directorial or performance ideas calculated to create the effects in at least two sections of the play
  4. reference to the social, cultural and/or historical context of the play.

Additionally, in common with all questions in this section the question demands:

  • a creative overview
  • appropriate selection of textual illustrations.