Pictured from left: Michela Mocchiutti, Mikaela Salcedo
Photo by Melanie Neu

Commedia dell’Arte with Michela Mocchiutti

We asked:
Mikaela Salcedo (Ball State University), and Gabe Halstead-Alvarez (Interlochen Center for the Arts)

What has been your favorite moment in class so far?
Gabe: One of my favorite moments has to be when we worked with partners. Being the youngest student in the program, I have learned from my peers how to take the work to another level, and how to appreciate having my limits pushed in a healthy way. Through partner work, I have really learned how to value others and trust my partner and the audience to pull their weight. In this class, I am constantly jotting down everything in my notebook — my pen is almost out of ink! Learning about and observing other peoples’ work ethics has also been a huge part of the experience in the class.
Mikaela: Our teacher, Michela, is so incredibly talented and funny when it comes to her work in Commedia. Whenever she gets up to teach us or show us something new about the characters, I always find myself smiling or laughing! She is just so full of energy and life when it comes to the many characters that we play. She never fails to make me laugh, especially when she is playing Zanni!

How does this class compare to your expectations?
Gabe: I have been doing Commedia at Interlochen for about two years now, and I have to say that this class has more than fulfilled my expectations. In the States, I haven’t found many people who are familiar with Commedia, whereas here in Italy, it is a cornerstone of cultural identity. These classes, along with being immersed in Italian culture, have inspired me to take Commedia seriously as an art form.
Mikaela: I have done some mask and physical theatre work during my training at Ball State, and I expected Commedia to be similar to some of the work I had done. I had read a little about the archetypes, but I did not know how distinctive each and every character would be. Commedia is an entire world of theatre that I knew very little about and I have learned more than I imagined possible about this historical art form.

Tell us something interesting about your professor!
Gabe: Something interesting about my professor is that she is able to support herself as an actor in Italy, working primarily in Commedia but also through other projects. She is incredibly energetic and alive with everything she does!
Mikaela: A few of us have a joke that, when Michela gets up to show us how to do a gag or make a moment work, she reminds us of the Minions from the movie Despicable Me! She has so much energy and joy in what she does — just like them!

Pictured from left: Andrea Cavarra, Reyna Orelup, Shannon Dempsey
Photo by Melanie Neu

Mask Making with Andrea Cavarra

We asked:
Deedee Elbieh (Emerson College) and Drake Shadwell (Furman University)

What has been your favorite moment in class so far?
Deedee: Playing with the finished product of our masks was incredible. We jumped right into the design of our masks so suddenly that none of us really knew what we were doing, so playing with our finished masks was such a satisfying moment — we got to see what phenomenal masks we had made, and create a character in tandem with it, which brought the process full circle.
Drake: My favorite moment was forming the leather with tools made of bone, in order to work out all the water and force the mask into shape. The leather started to turn into a real mask at this point, and watching all the work that had lead up to that point come into fruition was excellent. This part of the process also allowed for plenty of free time for Andrea to goof off and be crazy, and that is how it should be.

How does this class compare to your expectations?
Deedee: I had no idea what to expect from this class, but was so thrilled by it throughout — I didn’t want it to end! I knew that we would be making a mask, but I didn’t know how complex the process would be, especially the creation of the expression and how specific it is. It’s a lot of hard work, but so worth the beautiful and professional finished product.
Drake: This class was well beyond what I expected. Andrea taught us in his own unique way, which could never be duplicated. Beyond just the art of mask making he taught me about the history of the mask, the use of the mask, and the culture of Italy. The people from my home institution told me that if I wanted a genuine Italian experience I should be taught by Andrea in this class, and I could not have gotten better advice.

Tell us something interesting about your professor!
Deedee: Andrea is unlike any teacher I’ve ever had before. He’ll push and push and push you to work your hardest, and at the same time joke around constantly and bridge a really meaningful and fun relationship with you. He’s so talented and intelligent, and tells the dumbest and longest Italian jokes. We all learned so much from him, not just about masks but about Italian culture and lifestyle as well.
Drake: Andrea defies description. He knows the times in which to be serious, but understands the fact that all other times are for being happy and stupid. I can’t really think of a better way to live.