Piccolo Teatro di Milano,
Arlecchino, Servant of Two Masters

Wed, Oct 26, '05, 8 pm

Thu, Oct 27, '05, 8 pm

Fri, Oct 28, '05, 8 pm

Sat, Oct 29, '05, 2 pm

Sat, Oct 29, '05, 8 pm

Sun, Oct 30, '05, 3 pm

Venue: Zellerbach Playhouse

Price: $65

With three weddings, two duels, a dance number, a chase sequence, a love scene, a food fight, and much more, Carlo Goldoni's 18th-century comedy about a wily servant who gets the best of his masters is one of the classic works of commedia dell'arte. Join Piccolo Teatro di Milano—Italy's foremost proponent of Goldoni's masterpiece—for a rare American performance of Arlecchino, servitore di due padroni (Servant of Two Masters). Giorgio Strehler's timeless production (unquestionably a landmark of 20th-century theater) features the great Italian actor Ferruccio Soleri in a role he has called his own for more than 45 years. Truly world drama at its best! With English supertitles.

Sponsored by: Piccolo Teatro di Milano is supported by the Istituto Italiano di Cultura.

PATRON INFORMATION

Program Notes: Program notes are available one week prior to the performance.

Education and Community Events:
Conference: Commedia in the Bay Area
Sat, Oct 22, 3:00-6:00 pm, Zellerbach Playhouse
With the Dell'Arte Players and others to be announced, moderated Mel Gordon, Theater, Dance & Performance Studies, UC Berkeley

Sightlines event
Wed, Oct 26, 7-7:30 pm, Zellerbach Playhouse
Pre-performance talks by Professor Paolo Bosisio, Department of Theater History, University of Milan

Making Theater with Ferruccio Soleri of Piccolo Teatro di Milano
Thu, Oct 27, 3:30 pm, Zellerbach Playhouse
Widely regarded as the definitive commedia dell'arte actor on any stage, Ferruccio Soleri made his debut in the role of Arlecchino in 1953.

Sightlines event
Thu, Oct 27, 7-7:30 pm, Zellerbach Playhouse
Pre-performance talks by Professor Mel Gordon, Theater, Dance & Performance Studies, UC Berkeley

Conference: Taboo and Humor Today: What's Funny and What's Forbidden
Fri, Oct 28, 3:00-5:00 pm, Zellerbach Playhouse
With panelists Jim Valley, Writer for Arrested Development; Maggie Rowe, Director of Hollywood Hellhouse; and Jack Perez, cult film director and writer of Wild Things II; and Paolo Bosisio, University of Milan; moderated by Mel Gordon, Theater, Dance & Performance Studies, UC Berkeley

Sightlines event
Fri, Oct 28, 7-7:30 pm, Zellerbach Playhouse
Pre-performance talks by Professor Paolo Bosisio, Department of Theater History, University of Milan

Sightlines event
Sat, Oct 27, 7-7:30 pm, Zellerbach Playhouse
Pre-performance talks by Professor Mel Gordon, Theater, Dance & Performance Studies, UC Berkeley

Exhibitions
Fri-Sun, Oct 21-30, Zellerbach Playhouse Lobby
"Commedia dell'arte" curated by Mel Gordon, Theater, Dance & Performance Studies, UC Berkeley; Costumes from Piccolo Teatro di Milano

Commedia dell'arte: Yesterday and Today
Fall 2005
A range of education and humanities programs will explore the form and legacy of commedia dell'arte when Cal Performances presents Piccolo Teatro di Milano's celebrated production of Arlecchino, Servant of Two Masters (Oct 26-30), written in 1745 by Carlo Goldoni. Piccolo Teatro di Milano's staging was originally created by legendary theater and opera director Giorgio Strehler in 1947 and is considered one of the most important interpretations of commedia dell'arte in the 20th century.

Ferruccio Soleri, widely regarded as the definitive commedia actor on any stage in the past 45 years, made his debut in the role of Arlecchino in 1960. He concludes his career with this tour.

Developed in the 16th and 17th centuries by troupes of traveling performers, commedia dell'arte's comedic, satirical, and improvisational conventions have survived and evolved over the centuries. From vaudevillian burlesque to the Marx Brothers' films to political street theater today, the genre remains an enduring art form.

Organized by Cal Performances in association with the Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies and the Consortium for the Arts at UC Berkeley.

Artists links:
Official Piccolo Teatro di Milano site

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