Andrew is one half of the duo behind the Mari & Crupi Theatre Company, a touring company founded by Mari (Mariana Dias) from Portugal and Crupi (Andrew Crupi) from Australia. Mari & Crupi are professional local actors who write, teach, direct, produce and perform their own Commedia Dell´Arte plays. They offer workshops on physicality, improvisation, basics and solos in Commedia for schools and the general public across Australia and Europe, now online. They are part and co-founding members (2013) of the comicINcontinenti
Theatre Company which is based in Italy and which tours Europe (in normal non-Covid times). They have co-created and performed in Italy the PastoralMarinarBoscheRegia, a show that mixes Pastorale, Marinaresca, Boschereccia and Opera Regia Commedia styles, and they are well-known experts in their field.
The Year 8 class workshop was a highly interactive session over a double lesson. We listened carefully to an excellent introduction to Commedia dell’Arte, a particular style of theatre most akin to the pantomime which we know today. Andrew Crupi introduced the stock characters of Commedia to the boys and placed them in a relevant cultural and historical context. We learned about i zanni, the servants, and their relationships with their masters – il vecchi, the old men. Knowledge of the hierarchy of Commedia is most important to the comedy; the accepted social structure is what allows performers to break the rules. Crupi demonstrated and explored the physicality and psychology for the various masks which are synonymous with this exaggerated style of comedy, and we discussed particular modern comic characters whose own physicality is based directly on the masks of Commedia; for example, The Simpsons’ Mr. Burns is almost an exact replica of the original fifteenth century Pantalone with his long nose, wizened face and tiny, agile body. We explored and played with traditional improvisations and lazzi, only needing to disappointingly stop short due to the bell. It was a Friday afternoon we won’t forget, and our thanks go to Andrew and his wonderful ability to bring Commedia to life at PAC. Grazie!
Paula Little
Director of Performing Arts
