Improvisation in Italy

Commedia dell'arte Emerges in Northern Italy

Professional commedia dell'arte troupes first performed in northern Italy around 1545, building performances from canovacci: scenario outlines specifying structure but leaving all dialogue to be invented in the moment. Stock characters including Arlecchino, Pantalone, and Il Dottore allowed ensembles to adapt to different audiences and venues. The Compass Players in Chicago consciously revived this format four centuries later, describing their scenario plays as loosely based on the old commedia dell'arte format.