Commedia dell'arte

This comedy theatre was performed outside or within a temporary ‘pop-up’ venue, usually during a town’s annual Carnevale. One of the country’s largest carnivals took place in Venice, which had its own unique tradition, the Mascherade, in which citizens wore masks to hide their identity and status. 

Actors saw that these masks were more expressive than their more traditional flat versions, with the emphasis on facial features such as long noses, wide eyes and big ears giving more scope for exaggeration on stage. As a consequence, the use of masks in shows increased character-driven scripts and created some of the most significant roles in theatre.