1

THESERVANTofTWOMASTERS

byCarloGoldoniTranslated,adaptedanddirectedbyRosaCampagnaro

2

THESERVANTofTWOMASTERSbyCarloGoldoniTranslated,adaptedanddirectedbyRosaCampagnaroInadditiontothisresourcematerialavideodocumentingtheinitialdevelopmentworkshopsforthisproductionandinterviewswiththeactorsisavailableforpurchase($22.00):https://vimeo.com/ondemand/twomasters?PLAYWRIGHTCarloGoldoniandhis18thCenturyVeniceItaly’streasuredplaywright,CarloGoldoni,wasborninVenicein1707.EighteenthcenturyVenicewasacontemporarymetropolisandaplaygroundfortherichandnouveauriche.Itwasalsoaculturalhub,attractingwealthyforeignersandalsoprovidingworkforthepoor.Venetianslovedtopartybygamblingandgoingtothetheatre.Thisaccountedforthepopularityofcarnevalewhereeveryoneenjoyedmonthsoffestivitieswhilstwearingmaskeddisguisestoensurea‘goodtime’withoutdisclosure!ThetheatrewasasignificantpartofthiscultureandGoldonishowedakeeninterestintheartform.FromagefourteenhebecameinvolvedwithvariouscompaniesoftravellingplayersandenjoyedthebohemianartistlifestylearoundItaly.Goldoniwasalsoapracticalman,earningalawdegreeandpracticinglaw,buthisloveforthetheatrealwaysdrewhimbackin.Hewroteover150plays,includingsomeofhismostfamous:TheVenetianTwins,TheMistressoftheInnandTheServantofTwoMasters.Hisintentionwastoreformcommediabyeliminatingobscenityandimprovisationthathadbeencommedia'strademark.Hebeganwritingdialogueandcreatingmoremultidimensionalcharacters,oftenmeetingwithresistancefromactorswhowereaccustomedtoimprovisingandworkinginthetraditionalcommediastyle.Likewise,Goldoni’scontemporaryandsometimesnemesis,CarloGozzi,wantedtopreservethemaskedtraditionbutGoldonisawitsdeclineandwasdeterminedtodevelopanewform.Eventuallystrippingthemasksentirelyfromhisplays,hewentonwritingcleversatiresthatreflectedananalyticalviewofsocialattitudesandbehavioursbetweenthesexesanddifferentclasses.

GoldonihadsuchanartisticrivalrywithGozzithatiteventuallypromptedhimtoleavehisbelovedVenicetoworkinPariswhere,despiteallhislifelongsuccesses,heeventuallydiedapoorman.GoldoniwasultimatelycreditedwithreformingtheItaliancomedy.Hewasundoubtedlyageniusplaywrightandhisworkshavestoodthetestoftimeandcontinuetoengagecontemporaryaudiencesglobally.ROSACAMPAGNAROTranslator,Adaptor,DirectorThisisatranslationforthestageandtheresultofadevelopmentprocessthatincludedtranslatingGoldoni’soriginalItalianandVenetiantextandthencollaboratingwiththeactorstoeditandadaptforacontemporaryaudience.IwantedtomaintainaVenetianspirit,andsofounditnecessarytocreateanewtranslationinordertoobtainaclearunderstandingofGoldoni’soriginalintention.Thereweresomechallengesduringthisprocessandquestionswereoftenraisedanddiscussionshadabouthowimportantitwastotrulytranslatethetext

3

asopposedtouseaphraseorwordthatstillgivesasenseofwhatGoldonimeant.Forexample,onPage40,Pantalonareferstotheword‘spuzzeta’andshesays:“…Ohherecomesthatpeacocksonofhis.InGoldoni’sVenetiantextitwas‘spuzzeta’whichisabitlikesaying‘s*&$head’butwedon’tsay‘shithead’becausethat’soffensive.Sodon’t

say‘s*&$head’okay?”‘Spuzzeta’isVenetianforlittlestinkernotpeacock.However,theanimalpeacockgivesasensethatthecharacterisnarcissisticandperhapsstupid.Wedebatedastowhetherweshouldusetheliteraltranslationfor‘spuzzeta’oranothermildlyoffensivewordwhichstillgivesanideaofwhatGoldoniintended,somethingthatmayhavemoreimpactandstillbecomic,likes*&$head’DIRECTIONApproachtotheatricalstyleandprocessInGoldoni’soriginalnotesforTheServantofTwoMasters,hetalksofusingimprovisationaspartofthedevelopmentprocessforthefinalscript.Healsoheavilycreditshisactorsfortheirimprovisationalskills,whichhaveenhancedthework:

“…thiswasmycommediaall’improvviso,sowellexecutedfromthefirstactorsthatperformedit,thatIwasveryverypleasedandhadnodoubttobelievetheyenhancedthis

withtheirimprovisation,betterthanifI’dwrittenitmyself”(CarloGoldoni)

TheintentionwastouseGoldoni’sprocessandthatofthe16thcenturyimprovisedcommediatocreateournewadaptation.UsingGoldoni’s18thcenturytextIwrotethescenariofortheplayandoverafewinitialworkshopsweimprovisedandplayed.Herewediscoveredmanynewandlazziandgames,someofwhichhavemadetheirwayintothisscript.IalsofoundthatGoldoni’stextandothertranslationswereveryprescriptivewhenitcametolazziandhowtheyweretobeperformed,IbelievedthismayrestricttheactorandstifleplaysoIdecidedtosimplyhaveadescriptionofthelazziinordertogivetheactoropportunitytofindtheirowngame,rhythmandphysicalcomedy.THEATRICALSTYLECommediadell’ArteanduseofmaskCommediadell’Arte,atitspeakofpopularityinthe16thcentury,wasperformedonoutdoorstagesinpiazza(townsquares).Thespaceswerelargeandactorswereoftenchallengedbyhecklers,churchbellsandthedistancebetweenthemandtheaudience.Perhapsforthisreasontheirgestures,movementsandvoicesneededtobeexaggerated,largerthanlifeandnon-naturalistic.Likewise,actorsoftenbrokethefourthwallandinteractedandplayedwiththecrowd.Goldoni’s18thcenturycommediawasperformedintheatresandwrittenforaneruditeaudienceandthereforedemandedmorerefinementandless‘sporchilazzi’(dirtygags)1andvulgaritywhichwastypicalofthe16thcenturystyle.ThisadaptationisahybridbetweenthesetwoerasofCommediadell’Arteandwithanonspecificcontemporarytime.

1CarloGoldoni’snotesforTheServantofTwoMasters.

4

Thestockcharactersanduseofmaskmaintainthenon-naturalisticandstylisedtradition.Thesecharactersareuniversalarchetypesthatcanbeeasilyidentified.Forexample,therich,oldandstingyPantalonaissimilarto‘MrBurns’intheSimpsonsandlowstatustricksterandsometimessimpleton,Truffaldinoisa‘BartSimpson’type.Likewise,Smeraldina(servantandmistresstoClarice)hassimilartraitsto‘Gloria’fromthesitcom,ModernFamily.Theactor’sprocess,whendevelopingamaskedcharacter,istoresearchthecharacter’sneedsandwants,butmoreimportantlytotakeinspirationfromtheindividualmaskitselfandtheanimalfeaturesinthatmask.Theanimalisastartingpointtohelptheactorcreateanexaggeratedphysicalityandvoice.Commediadell’Arteisacombinationofthefollowing:

• stockcharacters• masks• parodyandsatire• exaggeratedandstylisedmovement• lazzi(comicbusinessandvisualgags)• improvisation• gibberishorgrommelot*

Inthisformoftheatre,actorswoulddeviseaperformancebyimprovisingthedialogueandactionaroundascenario.

Commediadell’Artewasinnovativeandaheadofitstimeforthe16thcentury.Forexampletheterm,dell’Arte,looselytranslatesto‘professional’.Thismeantthatcommediatroupeswereprofitablebusinessesandactorswererecognisedandrespectedasprofessionals.Commediawasalsorevolutionaryforinventingtheconceptoftheactress.Itwasthefirsttheatretraditionthatallowedandencouragedwomentoperformonstage,likepioneeringactresses,VincenzaArmaniandIsabellaAndreini.Whobecamethefirstcelebrityactorsoftheera!

Socialandpoliticalsatirewasamajorelementofcommedia.Itwasthefoundationandinspirationforthestockcharactersandscenarios.AlthoughCommediaishundredsofyearsoldtheconceptofsatireisstillcurrent.Audiencesaredelightedbyimpersonationsofcharactertypesthatexistinoursociety,hencethepopularityofbrilliantmoderndaycommedialike,‘KathandKim’or‘FamilyGuy’or‘TheSimpsons’.Theexaggerated,larger-than-lifecharactersaresimilartotheexaggeratedgrotesquequalityofthemasksusedincommedia.

ThestockcharactersfromtheCommediadell’Artemayhavebeenre-inventedinourmoderndaycomediesbuttheyarestilleasilyidentifiedandrelevant.ForexamplePantalone(orIlMagnifico)isthearchetypalrich,stingyoldman.Herewecaneasilyassociate,Pantalone,withMrBurnsfrom‘TheSimpsons’.

Themasksin,commediacanbeinspiredbyanimalsoranaturalelement(fire,air,earthorwater)thatreflectsthecharacter’straitsoridiosyncrasies.Theactorthenembodiesthesequalitiesintheirdevelopmentofthecharacter.Forexample,Arlecchino’sphysicalityandattitudereflecthismask,acrossbetweenacatandamonkey!*GrommelotisaconventionofCommediadell’ArtethatderivesfromtheFrenchwordgrommeler,whichmeanstogrumbleormumble.IlDottorespeakshisownversionoftheLatinlanguage.Sometimes,bychance,hemanagestogetitright.

5

LAZZO

Thereareafewtheoriesontheoriginsofthewordlazzo.ItiscommonlybelievedthatthewordlazzocomesfromtheItalianwordmeaningjokeorjest.ItcouldalsobederivedfromtheItalianwordlazzarone,whichtranslatestoslackerorscoundrel.Thewordmayevenoriginatefromlaccio,whichmeanslaceorshoelace,to‘tieuptheaction’.Whatevertheorigins,mostseemtoagreethatlazziarephysicalandverbalgames,jokesorgagsperformedbytheactorsonstageincludingtheinteractionor‘play’withtheaudience.Lazzicanbesillyslapstick,comicbusinessoravarietyofcomicroutines,rehearsedorimprovised.

Inthisnewtranslationthestagedirectionswillindicatewherearehearsedlazzoisrequiredandadescriptionastothetypeoflazzoitis.Theintentionistogiveactorsanddirectortheopportunitytoplayanddeveloptheirownlazzo,inthespiritofthe16thcenturyimprovisedcommedia.

STAGINGANDUSEOFSPACETraditionalcommediaplayingspaceswerehightrestlerectangularstagesroughly3x4metres.Upstage,therewasasimplecurtainwithanopeninginthemiddleforentrancesandtomaskchanges.TakinginspirationfromthistraditionandcombiningitwiththeideathatCommediadell’Arteisagame,aconstantplaybetweenthecharactersonstageandtheaudience,wehavedecidedtouseasquareplayingspacereminiscentofaboardgamemeasuring3.5x3.5metres.TheactualplayingspacewillhaveanelaboratedesignthatreflectsatypicalfloorinadecadentVenetianpalace.StMarksVenetianlionisfeaturedonthedesignasareminderofthesetting.

6

Thereareafewchallengesfortheactorsworkinginasmallsquarespace:1. Theyneedtobeveryawareoftheotheractorsonstage.2. Themovementinthespaceisalsometiculouslyblockedsotheactorsmovearound

thespacewhenthefocusneedstoshifttoothercharacters.3. Toavoidhavingtheactorsstandatthefrontinaline.4. Fortheactortobeabletojustifyamovementinthespacethatmayseem

unnecessaryorabsurd.5. Tobeopentoplayandthepossibilitiesofchangesinthemovementwithinthe

spaceifanopportunityforimprovisationoranewgameevolves.DESIGNCostumes,set,lightsandsoundThisisanewadaptationisahybridofGoldoni’sdecadent18thcenturyVeniceandalsoacontemporarytimeandthedesignwillreflectthis.Theshowopenswithadancethatsetsthehybridtonefortheproduction.ThedanceisbothBaroqueandmoderninstyleandisperformedtoatrackthatisamixofaVivaldiclassicandanItalianpopremix:

• ‘FarL’Amore’BobSinclarandRaffaellaCarra`(soundtrackfromthefilmTheGreatBeauty)

• 'SinfoniatoLaVendettad’AmoreforTrumpet:Spiritoso'(fromalbum‘VenicebyNight’)

Thecostumesaretraditionalandelaboratebuttherearetouchesofthecontemporary.Forexample,theservantswearmodernsneakersandthehighstatuscharactersmoderndressshoes.Silviohasa‘playboy’logoonhisbelt,Smeraldinalargehoopearringsand‘mask’ofmakeup.Thelightsareasimplestrawwashthatisreminiscentofthenaturallightavailabletothetravellingplayersofthe16thcentury.ACTOR–AUDIENCERELATIONSHIPTheactorsintheshowexploreandmanipulatetheactor-audiencerelationshipbybreakingthefourthwall.Theyinvitetheaudiencetointeractwiththecharactersinthestorybydirectlyaddressingthem.Inthecommediaofthe16thcenturythiswasoneofthemostimportantconventions,theaudiencebecamea‘character’intheplayandtheyinteracted,playedalongandgaveadvicetothecharactersinthestory.Theywerealsoemotionallyinvolvedandempathisedwiththecharactersonstage.Thisadaptationallowsopportunitiesfortheaudiencetointeractand‘playalong’withtheactorsonstage.

7

CHARACTERSTHEWOMENGoldoniwasan18thcenturyfeminist!Hewroteseveralstrong,courageous,intelligent,wittyfemalecharacters,oftencomingunderfireforthisfromhiscontemporaries,butbymosthistoricalaccounts,itseemsVenetianaudienceslovedthesecharacters.InGoldoni’soriginaltextBeatriceandSmeraldinaareperfectexamplesofthisandinouradaptationtheyhaven’tbeenalteredmuchatall.However,Clarice,waslesslikeherfemalecounterpartsandsowedecided,withabitoftweaking,wecouldalsodevelopherfromthetypicalinsipidwhinging‘Lover’toamoreassertive,idealisticandintelligentyoungwoman.ThedecisiontomakePantalone(fromGoldoni’soriginal)astrongmatriarchalwomanwasinspiredbyagorgeouslygrotesquemaskpurchasedinVenice(bythedirector).Throughplaywediscoveredthatitwouldmakeahilariousfemaleversionofthischaracter.ConsequentlythishascreatedfourstrongfemalecharactersthatI’msureGoldoniwouldbeproudof.

TheOldPeople:PantalonaandIlDottore

InGoldoni’soriginalproduction,thecharacterwasamalemaskedcharactercalledPantalone.Inthisadaptationwechosetohaveafemalemaskedcharacter,thisisourcontemporaryinterpretation,asitwasn’ttraditiontohavewomenwearingmasksonstage.Pantalonaisthefemaleversionofthischaracter.SheisthewifeorwidowofPantalone.Intheoriginalcommediaandinsimilarlyinouradaptation,Pantalone,iswealthybutfrugalandlicentiousoldman,alsoknownasIlMagnifico.ThenamePantalone,derivesfromtheItalianpianta-leone.ThelionorIlleoneisthesymbolofVeniceandpiantaremeans‘tomakeyourmark’.Pianta-leoneevolvedintowhatwenowknowasPantalone.Pianta-leonewasthetermgiventoVenetianmerchantswhosetupshopsandbusinessesinforeignlands.PantalonealsoimportedandexportedgoodsfromaroundEuropeandAsiaandhiscostume,inparticularhisredTurkishslippersandhat,representthis.Pantalonealsomadehisfortunebybuyingpropertyandmakingpeoplepaytaxesandrent.Pantalone’smaskisinspiredbybirds(crows,vulturesandturkeys).Psychologically,thecharacterislikeabirdofprey(oravulture)whenitcomestomoney.Hecanalsowalkslikeastumpycrow,shufflingaboutawkwardly.Thecharacterhasevolvedfromthe16thcenturycommediawherehewasoftenthebuttofeveryone’sjokestoamorerespectableheadofthefamilyandmemberofthearistocracyinthe17thand18thcenturyGoldonicommedia.

8

IlDottoreIlDottoreisaparodyofaUniversityacademicwhoisoriginallyfromBologna(thecitytohousethefirstUniversityinEurope).Apompousknow-allwhoisnotnecessarilyintelligent.Hehasthegiftofthegabanditishisaimistointimidateandpatroniseothercharacterswithhisbigwordsandapparentknowledge.IlDottorelovesquotingthingsinLatin(andotherlanguages),makingupfactsandrespondingtoquestionsinaridiculousmannerthatultimatelymakesnosense,similartotheresponsesapoliticianmaygivetoaquestion!Physically,hehasanA-linebodyshape,andcarriesweightinhisstomach.Heisgenerallylazyanddoesn’tmovemuchwiththeexceptionofhismouth–andthatdoesn’tstop!Themaskhewearsisablackhalfmaskthatcoverstheforehead(orthebrain)andthenoseisusuallyplumpandlarge.Hiscostumeisatraditionalblackacademicgownwithawhitecollarandawidebrimmedmedicalhat(similartoIlDottoredellaPeste).TheactorplayingIlDottorecanhavefuninventingtheirownLatinorItaliangrommelot.TheLovers:Clarice,Silvio,Florindo&Beatrice

TheLoversarearistocratic,highstatuscharactersthatdonotwearmasks.Theirmakeupandexaggeratedfacialexpressions,movementandemotionsaretheir‘mask’.Theywearheavymakeup(whiteface,redlipsandbeautyspots–tocoverblemishes).Theyareusuallyspoiltbratswhoareonlyconcernedabouttheirlovelife!Theirnaturalelementisairandwheninlove,metaphoricallyspeaking,theyhavetheirheadintheclouds.Theiremotionsareextremeandtheycanswitchfrombeingblissfullyhappytocompletelydepressed.Theycanmakehastydangerousdecisionsiftheirloveisnotrequitedorwhentheybelievetheyhavebeenbetrayed(asisthecasewithSilvio).Physically,whenmovingtheyleadfromtheheartandfloataround.TheLoversareoftenthechildrenoftheoldpeople(Pantalone/PantalonaandIlDottore).Theirdilemmasoftenstemsfromtheirparentsnotallowingthemtomarryorinsistingthattheymarrypeoplewhohavebeenchosenforthemandwhomtheydonotlove!

9

GoldonicreatesTheLover,Beatrice,astrong,independent,selfaware,assertivefemaleheroine.Hewasafeminist–oftenwritingfemalecharactersthatrivalledtheirmalecounterpartsand‘won’withwit,humourandstrength,bothofmindandbody.WeseethiswhereBeatricedefeatsSilviointheswordfightandspareshislife.Also,Beatriceseeksindependenceandlibertyandfreedomandrisksherlifetodothis.WealsoseeGoldoni’sstrongwittywomenthroughSmeraldina,particularlyinherAct2,wheresheberatesSilvio:

“Menandwomenhaveareputationforbeingunfaithfulandbothcommitinfidelities,butpeoplegossipaboutwomenandsaynothingaboutmen!”

GoldonilivedinadebaucherousanddecadentVeniceandhewasn’tafraidtomakesocialcommentaryaboutwhatwasgoingonatthetimeandaboutthesexesorthearistocracy.SowhenSmeraldinasaysthefollowinglinetoClaricesheisn’texaggerating!ItmakessensewhenyouunderstandthatVenicewiththe‘Tinder’of18thcenturyEurope.

“Lethimgotohellandyoucomewithme.ForthereisnoshortageofmeninVenice,Ican

getyouadozenbytonight”.

TheServants/Zanni:Truffaldino,Smeraldina,Brighella&ZanniTRUFFALDINO(ARLECCHINOtype)InGoldoni’soriginal,ServantofTwoMasters,thecharacterwascalledTruffaldino.ThisisanArlecchinotype,a16thcenturyzanniorservantmaskfromtheregionofBergamointhenorthofItaly.FastforwardtotheeighteenthcenturywhereGoldoniwasworkingwithafamouscommediaactornamedAntonioSacchi.ThisactoralwaysplayedtheArlecchinotype(atthetimeitwascommonfortheoneactortoalwaysplaythesamecharacter).Sacchi’sinterpretationofthischaracterwasabitmoreslyandcunninganditseemsforthisreasonhewasnicknamedTruffaldino.Truffaremeans-tocheat,defraudorswindle.ThemaskevolvedwiththeactorandsoGoldoniusedthenewnameforthecharacterinhisnewplay(whichbythewaySacchigavehimtheideatodo).In1947thecharacterrevertedbacktoArlecchinoinIlPiccoloTeatroofMilan’sstagingof‘ArlecchinoServitorediDuePadroni’.Theplaywasintendedtodrawacrowdforthegrandopeningofthenewtheatreandthecompanywantedtheaudiencetomakeclearlinksbetweentheplayandcommedia.Herewearein2016withanewtranslationandwiththeintentionofcreatinganadaptationthatmaintainsthespiritoftheoriginaltextsoitseemsfittingthatwecallthecharacter,Truffaldino,asGoldoniintended.

10

Arlecchinoisacombinationoftwoanimals:monkeyandcat.Hismaskreflectsthefeaturesoftheseanimalsandthisheavilyinfluencesthecharactersphysicalmovement,behaviourandpsychology.Likemanyofthecommediacharacters,Arlecchinoisacreatureofextremes.Hecanbelazyandlethargic,likeacat,andplayfulandenergeticlikeamonkey.Heisn’teducatedbutthisdoesn’tmeanthatheisstupid.Infact,Arlecchinoisstreetsmart,hecanbeslyandmanipulativeespeciallywhenheneedstogetoutoftroubleorwhentheobjectofhisdesireisfood!Hiscostumeisdistinctandiseasilyrecognisedbyitsmulti-coloureddiamondpattern.SMERALDINASmeraldinaisaColombinatype.SmeraldinacomesfromtheItalianwordforemerald,hencethecolourofhercostumeinthisproduction.ThisfemaleZannidoesnotwearamaskbuthercostume,headscarfandapronmakeherlowservantstatusclear.*Despitethissheoftendisregardstheboundariesbetweenmasterandservantbyspeakinghermind.Colombina,insomescenarioscanbeArlecchino’sloveinterest.She,likeArlecchino,canbesly,manipulativeandstreetsmart.Colombinausesherfeminineattributestogetwhatshewants,forexample,swingingherhipsandshowingabitofcleavage.Herstanceisstrongandassertivewithhandsfirmlyplacedonhips.*Inouradaptationthelowstatusservantcharacterswearsneakersasopposedtoleathershoes.

11

BRIGHELLA

ThenameBrighellacomesfromtheItalianwordbrigantemeaning,brigand,bandit,thugoroutlaw.Hismaskissometimesolivegreen(orblack)andisinspiredbyadog.BrighellaiswhattheItalianswouldcallcontromaschera,whichmeansthatheistwofaced.Forexample,hewilleasilybecharmingandobligingtohismasters,however,willbecomevicious,violentandcontrollingwiththeotherZanni.Brighellaisalsohighly-strungandanxiousandhisphysicalmovementsreflectthis.Hemovesaroundnervously,asthekneescomeuptomeettheelbows,abitlikeaheadlesschickenflappingitswings.Hiscostumeconsistsofawhitewideleggedpantandachef’sjacketandhat.Hemayuseateatowelorbatocio(slapstick)asaprop.BrighellaisahighstatusZanniandinthisproductionheistheownerofanInnandisinapositionofpowerandisalsorespectedbyhighstatuscharacterslikePantalonaZANNI

Thischaracteristheloweststatusofallthestockcharactersandtheservants.ThisZanniisthesidekickarchetype.ThenameZanniderivesfromthenameGianniorGiovanni,whichliterallytranslatedfromtheItalianmeans,John.ThiswasacommonnameforthepoorpeasantsfromthecountrytownsinNorthernItaly.ThesepeoplewouldmigratetoVeniceinsearchofwork,hopingtofindamasterthatwouldemploythem.ThearistocratsofVenicedubbedmigrantsfromtheseregions,Zanni,thenamethatresultswhentheVenetiandialectoraccentisaddedtoGianni.ZannibecameaderogatorytermthatreferredtoallservantsregardlessofwhethertheirnamewasGianniornot.Themaskforthischaracter,similartoPantaloneandLaStrega,inthatitisinspiredbybirdsofprey:hawks,vultures,crowsandowls.ThisisfittingbecausetheZanniislikeavulturewhenitcomestoeating.Hisprimarymotivationisfood.TheZannimasksusedinthisproductionarenotasstronglyinspiredbytheanimalsinthetraditionalmasks,buttheyhavefeaturesthattheactorusestocreateahunchedphysicalityandadowntroddenattitude.