Simply because Pantelone lost a coin, he is wreaking terror on everyone around him, threatening the worst punishment he could possibly serve on the entire household. Will they be able to get the coin back or can they convince Pantelone to stop the punishments?
“A Comedy of Terrors,” created by adjunct professor Terri Mastrobuono and the Elizabethtown College Theatre commedia troupe, tells the story of Pantelone, his ego and his anger. The play will be performed at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31; Friday, Nov 1; Saturday, Nov. 2; Thursday, Nov. 7; and Friday, Nov. 8; and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov 10, in the College’s Tempest Theatre.
The play, a madcap, slapstick story of power and rebellion, was written as an ensemble piece, with the cast, the stage management and Terri Mastrobuono, all contributing. Fourteen students created the play from improvised scenes that Mastrobuono devised. She then took their material and wrote a script.
The play is performed in commedia dell’arte, the traditional theatrical style originated in Italy. The quasi-improvised comic art form was a turning point in Western theatre and has influenced everything from Shakespeare to sitcoms to cartoons. “People began to create their own plays based on everyday people instead of gods and rulers,” said Mastrobuono. “The idea of commedia is taking everyday situations that we feel are so serious and laugh at them.”
Years ago, Mastrobuono studied the theatre form in Italy with a recognized master of the art. Because of her love for how commedia dell’arte takes everyday circumstances and transforms them into absurd comic situations, she brings the style to Elizabethtown College, hoping the campus community will get a good laugh.
“The play is very fun and playful,” she said. “I hope that students will take away that any situation, no matter how serious, has a comic side.”
“Comedy of Terrors” is the third original piece Mastrobuono has created for the College.. Tickets are $6; call 717-361-1170 or email boxoffice@etown.edu.