We learnt about the various stock characters in the old Italian troupe of Comedia dell’arte. The goal is to express a character using their physical mannersisms and try and use these characteristics in your act.

• Pantalone
  A suspicious miser. He is always hunched over, bent head, conniving, hands hidden and close to the chest. He walks slowly . He speaks in a rough hoarse voice without every looking up. He steps toe first, with slow high soft steps.

• Dottore
  A complete narcissist who does not know what he’s talking about but thinks extremely highly of himself. He stands upright, bloated chest, neck craned upwards, never looks down while talking, always confident even while bullshitting. Every once in a while he gets an idea and he lifts a finger and starts blurting whatever comes to his mind.

• Capitano
  The superficially brave but secretly cowardly captain, full of himself. Walks with one hand on the hilt of his sword with one shoulder in front of the other. Pretends to be brave but runs away screaming at the first sign of danger.

• Arlecchino
  The machiavellian jester. For the most part, he’s the most boring, most ordinary character but secretly he’s the smartest person on stage. He plots against other characters and is constantly planning some mischeaf. Occasionally, he’ll reveal himself to the audience (unbeknowest to the other actors) with a sly smile, make a cliched plotting gesture and prank another actor. But he’s also non-confrontational and makes a run for it as soon as trouble is on the horizon.

• Innamorati / Innamoratu
  Lovers, son and daughter of Pantalone and Dottore. They think life is full of happiness. Physically they’re always flowing as in a romantic musical, twirling, loving everything, majorly dumb. They try to get close to each other but always refrain for reasons of purity and chastity. Highly melodramatic.