The Commedia Dell' Arte Circus

FIVE ACTORS AND A DOG met today in the upstairs room of a busy Methodist Centre in God’s Waiting Room, aka Eastbourne. The Dog immediately singled out the director as leader of the proceedings and sat as close to him as possible; and only growled a bit when the Director stepped on his tail.

It’s a bit blooming complicated, all this commedia dell’ arte caper. Never mind ‘learn your lines and don’t bump into the furniture’… The furniture is for the most part imaginary; and it seems to be ok to bump into it as long as there are sound effects and falling over. What you're not allowed to do is walk through it.

We’ve got knots and lazzi, all’improviso and disassembling, miming the space and all manner of Italian sounding archetypes that according to the Director died out over 200 years ago but which we’re expected to use as the basis for our characterisations because some elderly, foreign clown called Fava says they’re important. Bow three times. More about him later.

What was most interesting was watching the Director demonstrate the axis. All characters are at a different point on the axis, i.e. where x and y intersect. It’s more complex than this but basically the lower status characters are on a low axis with bendy legs and comedy walks; and the heroic ones are on a higher axis, more upright and serious. How you move in the horizontal plane is equally important. Every part of your body has to express something about your character. I tell you, it’s no place for anyone with a lazy disposition.

We’re all living together in a big old house split into apartments. I’m sharing with my dear friend and surrogate brother Basso. Across the corridor is Bones. Upstairs are Sax Chick (another old and treasured friend), Fiddle Boy and Awol (so called because he’s skipping the first week of rehearsals as he’s working in BANKOK?? If he wanted a better pseudonym, he should have been here on day 1). The Dog is loving it, he gets to hang out with a pack the whole time. Work, home, pub; and there are foxes in the park round the corner. Brilliant!

Favourite moment of the day: Basso’s face as I came into the kitchen this morning wearing a towel and handed him a pair of surgical gloves with the words: “Mate, I wonder if you’d do me a huge favour…”

True Friendship. Priceless.

Lx