Commedia Dell'Arte
Commedia Dell'Arte Teaching Unit

Commedia Dell'Arte

Drama Teaching Unit for 7th Grade (6 Lesson Plans)

This teaching unit introduces students to the methods, ideas and characters of Commedia dell‘Arte and help them to understand the origins of modern day comedy. They are taught to understand the purpose of stock characters in improvised performances, along with their wonderful masks. An illustrated booklet is included with this scheme of work to help bring the characters and their traits to life.

Each lesson plan has clearly stated objectives and learning outcomes. They are structured to include introductory warm up, development and plenary sessions. A home work task is also included.

This scheme has recently been updated with improvements to the resource booklet. If you previously purchased this scheme please contact us for a copy of the update at no extra cost.

Commedia Dell'ArteTooltip

The teaching unit contains 6 drama lesson plans.

  • Lesson 1: Introduction to Commedia Dell'Arte
    Improvisation of life as a member of a travelling troupe of actors, along with the warm up game ‘Earth, Air or Water’.

  • Lesson 2: Stock Characters
    Playing the roles of Pantelone, Arlecchino and Il Capitano in student devised scenes.

  • Lesson 3: Character Traits
    Understanding and portraying the characteristics of Brighella, Il Dottore and Pulcinella.

  • Lesson 4: The Lazzo
    Mime and slapstick comedy, with reference to modern day comedians.

  • Lesson 5: Assessment Preparation
    Devising a scene about a commedia troupe to include a mask-wearing commedia sequence.

  • Lesson 6: Assessment
    Performance of an original piece based on Commedia Dell’Arte.

Supporting materials include

  • Overview of Commedia Dell'Arte
  • Commedia Dell'Arte Booklet (25 pages)

Additional resources are included in the appendices

  • Basic Drama Skills
  • End Of Unit Self-Assessment Form

The teaching unit is supplied as a ZIP file containing two PDF files, readable on most computers.