The Anti I Potion by Fools in Progress and Furious Pulcinella by Antonio Fava

Magic, passion, love, jealousy, madness and revenge.

Discover the thrilling and captivating world of Commedia dell'arte masks in authentic Italian style!

The Anti I Potion by Fools in Progress and Furious Pulcinella by Antonio Fava

ONE SHOW ONLY!

Antonio Fava is Commedia dell' Arte's leading light. Students fly from all over the world to train with him at the International School of the Comic Actor in Italy, and he has performed in over thirty different productions throughout Europe, the US, UK, Canada and Australia, Pakistan, as well as authoring several books. He also creates and produces his own Commedia dell' Arte masks.

Fava is coming to Sydney to run an actor workshop, culminating in a rare performance of his "Furious Pulcinella" on November 18.

The opening act will be "The Anti-I-Potion" by Leichhardt 's "Fools in Progress", the foremost Commedia dell'arte troupe in NSW.

FURIOUS PULCINELLA by Antonio Fava

Pulcinella endures a life of struggle against hunger, fleas, flies, mosquitoes, rats, dirt, heat or cold. It is a vitaccia (a dog's life).

Pulcinella meets with Donna Zezza: they fall in love with each other. But Pulcinella is violently tormented by jealousy. Convinced as he is that Zezza betrays him he enlists as volunteer and goes to war.

Furious, he makes bloodsheds. But it's hopeless: he cannot take his Zezza out of his head.

There is no solution to his drama? Yes, only one: another woman.

With the Mystery Lady, it doesn't happen.

With the Madwoman it is not working.

With the Impossible Woman it is just… impossible.

Dismissed with dishonor, expelled from the army, Pulcinella returns home humiliated, but always very, very angry.

He meets Zezza… Will Zezza accept him again? … Yes…!

Pulcinella and Donna Zezza get married.

THE ANTI-I POTIONOne act by Fools in Progress

In The Anti-I Potion Colombina and Dottor Balanzone, tired of having to put up with the meanness of Pantalone, decide to try a new potion hoping to transform Pantalone's tight-fisted attitude into a generous and giving personality.

The potion is tested first on some audience member and then on the silly lovers Florindo and Isabella and il Capitano with comical and unexpected outcomes.

Colombina and Dottore eventually will operate on Pantalone inserting the potion directly into his body... but the effect will not last long....

Pantalone never changes!

ANTONIO FAVA MASKS EXHIBITION

Since its first appearance, the Commedia dell'Arte used leather as the ideal material for its character masks. The Commedia mask has always been devised to be worn just as a glove or a shoe. Although representing exaggerated human features the mask is small, merely bigger than the regular face, it is anatomically fitting, adhering comfortably to the actor face.

The Commedia dell'Arte masks can have countless variations, but all of them apply to only three basic types: Servant, Old Man and Captain.

Although maintaining a very personal style Antonio Fava's masks are true to the tradition.

Fava applies the same approach to Commedia dell'Arte genre: keeping one foot in the tradition and the other towards invention and innovation.

He exhibits some variation First and Second Zanni such as Brighella, Coviello, Arlecchino, Pulcinella, Donna Zezza; the old Men as Pantalone e

Balanzone; il Capitano Giangurgolo and other characters a la' Callot.

Commedia introduces also the use of the "social mask' such as the two 'androgynies' in display.