Flaminio Scala
| Flaminio Scala | |
|---|---|
| Born |
27 September 1552 Rome, Italy |
| Died | 9 December 1624 (aged 72) Mantua, Italy |
| Other names | Flavio, Claudione |
| Occupation | Commedia dell'Arte actor, scenario writer, playwright, director, producer, manager, agent, perfumier |
| Notable work | Il Teatro delle Favole Rappresentative (1611) |
Flaminio Scala (27 September 1552 – 9 December 1624), commonly known by his stage name, Flavio, was a sixteenth-century Italian stage actor of Commedia dell'Arte, scenario writer, playwright, director, producer, manager, agent, and editor. Considered one of the most important figures in Renaissance theatre, Scala is remembered today as the author of the first published collection of commedia scenarios, Il Teatro delle Favole Rappresentative, short comic plays that served as inspiration to playwrights such as Lope de Vega, William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, and Molière.
Scala was born in Rome on 27 September 1552. Little is known about his early life and his aristocratic family, except that his father's name was Giacomo. Scala's career as an actor and began sometime prior to 1577 in Florence, where he is thought to have played the role of the innamorato in the Compagnia dei Comici Gelosi (1568-1604) whose name was established after the company's creed: Virtu`, fama ed honor ne fer gelosi; meaning, zealous to please their audience. However, circa the year 1610, Scala became the company's resident stock character, Flavio. Much of the company had been made up of actors who were seeking work after separating themselves from Ganassa. Scala also held the position as director with the Ganassa Company from 1571, up until practicing under Francesco Andreini in 1577. Members of the company included: Vittoria Piisimi,Isabella Arreini, Lodovico da Bologna, Giulio Pasquati, Simone da Bologna, Gabriele Panzanini, Orazio Nobili and a host of other notable playmakers. Recordings also show that Scala also invested him time into another theatre company under the name, Confidenti, which also ended up being successful. The company, Confidenti, made a home for itself in France in the year 1571. While the company had established a positive reputation for itself, much of its' members were shareholders. This stock character made up the male half of the pair of young lovers that were central to the plots of scenarios in Italian Commedia dell'arte. Typically, the innamorati were as much in love with one another as they were with themselves and frequently kept apart by circumstances outside their control. Scala is credited with bringing the famous sixteenth-century actress and poet Isabella Andreini into I Gelosi to play opposite him as his inamorata and being considered the stage's first professional producer. The sixteen-year-old wife of the actor Francesco Andreini (whose stage name was Capitan Spavento) went on to become such a celebrated actress in her own right that a new role known as the "Isabella" was created in her honor. She later died while traveling from Paris to Italy in 1604. Following his work with I Gelosi, Scala was associated as an actor and occasionally as an agent with the i Accesi (Stimulated Ones), i Desiosi, (Desired Ones), and i Uniti (United Ones) from 1579 through 1596.
...
Wikipedia