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“Subverting” The Neoclassic Constraints: The Presence Of Magic In Early Commedia Dell’Arte, Yangzhou Bian
“Subverting” The Neoclassic Constraints: The Presence Of Magic In Early Commedia Dell’Arte, Yangzhou Bian
Theatre Student Scholarship
The project is an initiating discussion about the dramatic function and social-ideological implication of magic and magical elements in the surviving corpus of the Italian improvisational theater commedia dell’arte scenarios from the early seventeenth century. The essay begins with a cursory exploration of the position of commedia dell'arte amongst other notable theatrical forms blossoming across the European continent in the late renaissance. The study then focuses on eight plays selected from the 1611 Scala Collection to further examine the use of magic by commedia performers, followed by individual analysis of plot construct and dramaturgical theories. Finally, observations and connections made …
Mei Lan-Fang: The Masculinist Idealization Of Femininity, Yangzhou Bian
Mei Lan-Fang: The Masculinist Idealization Of Femininity, Yangzhou Bian
Theatre Student Scholarship
Mei Lan-fang was the most well-known Beijing Opera practitioner specializing in the impersonation of historical and mythological female characters. His captivating performance style is known as “The School of Mei”. It balances the external stage presence and internal precision and attends to the minutiae. His performances were drawn predominantly from the classic repertoire, and they have won him the position that “no other Chinese actor attained and retained” (Scott ii). Despite the general perception of Mei’s contribution to the emancipation of women through his work and his self-assertion of sympathy towards their suffering, the underlying motivation may not be as …