Jumping, twisting, bending, laughing, screaming and falling were just a few of the many physical activities that took part in the recent commedia theater workshop. Students had a jam-packed day with theater director Mark Pickell, which meant more than just acting with words.

    “It was a lot more work than I thought it would be,” junior Kayla Hutchins said. “With jumping, and squatting, and turning, it was definitely a workout. It also showed how much work we have to do before we can perfect this style of theater.”

    The workshop lasted from 9 am to 4 pm – a total of 6 hours with just a 1 hour lunch break. Every minute was spent exercising different strenuous activities such as lazzi (lot-zi), little bits of commedia to the extreme. Commedia is a style of theater that dates back to the ancient Italian times. It focuses on comedy to the extreme with the use of stock characters and masks.

    “The activities were not only physically demanding, but mentally as well,” senior Jade Morales said. “Having to memorize bits and phrases while doing crazy movements is a lot harder than you think.”

    At the end of the workshop, everyone had the opportunity to do an impromptu skit with different masks that represented various kinds of personalities. Everyone decided to perform their skits so the next half hour was spent laughing and making dramatic movements since the faces were hidden behind the masks.

    “My favorite part of the day was when I got to be an old man looking for money on the ground,” sophomore Brittany Scott said. “The masks were really cool to look at because they showed a lot of emotion for being made out of leather. I can’t wait until we get some of our own.”