I Sebastiani

Founded in Boston, MA in 1990, i Sebastiani is a commedia dell'arte troupe that specializes in Itallian comedy of the late sixteenth century and early seventeenth century.

History

i Sebastiani, the self-proclaimed "Greatest Commedia dell'Arte Troupe in the Entire World," was founded as a theatrical off-shoot of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), on June 4th, 1990 at 7:45 PM by Jeff Hatalsky, who was also known within the SCA as Sebastian. The troupe's name translates as "we who are Sebastian's." i Sebastiani drew heavily upon the sixteenth century troupe i Gelosi for inspiration, both in selection of characters and use of scenarios written by i Gelosi founder, Flaminio Scalla.

Hatalsky managed the troupe and often served as director until he left the troupe in October 1996. Jay Cross became artistic director and Alex Newman, manager. From 1991 through September 2001, the Troupe performed Commedia dell'Arte scenarios for largely SCA audiences. In September 2001, i Sebastiani attended the Austin Commedia dell'Arte Festival in Austin Texas, where they were encouraged to present their work to a broader audience. Alex Newman adopted the title, "capocomico", literally "head comic." Since then they have performed to general audiences, mostly in the East Coast region of the United States of America, as far south as the Miami Improv Festival in 2006. Newman left the troupe in 2005 and was succeeded as manager and Capocomica by Catherine Crow. Jay Cross continues as artistic director.

Performances

I Sebastiani's performance birth began when Sebastian entered and shouted, "Buon Giorno! Oh, you lucky people! You are truly blessed among the living. For into your dull gray lives have come i Sebastiani, the greatest commedia dell arte troupe in the entire world..." Since then, the troupe has begun every show with a "Buon Giorno..." where one member, usually the director, introduces the show and invites the audience to participate by hissing at the villains and sighing with the lovers. Shows are typically divided into three acts separated by intermezzi. The intermezzi are brief performances between acts. They are usually musical, although there have occasionally been jugglers or short comedy routines.

All plots are based on written scenarios usually 3 to 6 pages in length. The dialog and much of the action of the show is improvised. Scenarios may be Sixteenth century repertoire or written by one or more troupe members. Most scenarios involve at least one set of lovers facing some obstacle preventing marriage. The obstacles are usually the creation of the vecchi, or "old men", typically parents of the lovers, or rich suitors. A broader comedy is provided by Zanni, or servants. They are typically responsible for lazzi, or stock bits, which the troupe uses for comic effect. Sometimes a secondary love story will revolve around the servants. The shows usually end with all characters on stage. As with comedy of the renaissance, conflicts are resolved and the lovers are allowed to marry.

Characters commonly used by i Sebastiani

*The Lovers
**Orazio - usually the male lead
**Flaminia/Isabella - the female lead

*The Vecchi
**Pantalone - an old miser
**Graziano - an old doctor (usually of law) and know-it-all

*The Zanni
**Arlecchino - a zany servant. He has a logic that is misunderstood. It is often unclear whether he's an imbecile or the smartest person in the play.
**Pedrolino - a clever servant. He is usually responsible for coming up with plans to bring the lovers together.
**Francheschina/Claricheta - The female counterparts to Arlecchino and Pedrolino.

*Other
**Brighella - a (male) rogue. He is almost always the villain.
**Spavento - A Spanish Captain. He is sometimes a lover and sometimes a villain.
**Olivia - A old widow.

External links

* [http://www.isebastiani.com/ Official i Sebastiani site]
* [http://bostonphoenix.com/boston/arts/theater/documents/03038026.asp Liza Weisstuch's review of "The Twin Captains" in "The Boston Phoenix" 2003]
* [http://www.theatermirror.com/soliscr.htm Carl A. Rossi's review of "Slaves of Love" in "Theater Mirror" 2003]
* [http://www.theatermirror.com/tciscr.htm Carl A. Rossi's review of "The Twin Captains" in "Theater Mirror" 2003]