The Venetian Origins of the Commedia dell'Arte

"The Venetian Origins of the Commedia dell'Arte is a striking new enquiry into the late-Renaissance stirrings of professional secular comedy in Venice, and their connection to the development of what came to be known as the Commedia dell'Arte. The book contends that through a symbiotic collaboration between patrician amateurs and plebeian professionals, innovative forms of comedy developed in the Venice region, fusing 'high' and 'low' culture in a provocative mix that had a truly mass appeal. Rich with anecdotes, images, and literary - often ribald - comic passages, Peter Jordan's central argument has important implications for the study of Venetian art, popular theatre and European cultural history"--

Dr Jordan has been a theatre practitioner for over thirty years, touring throughout Europe and elsewhere, performing in English, Italian and Cantonese. He was a founder member of the Fortunati and an actor with TAG Teatro of Venice. He has variously acted in, directed and translated plays by Goldoni, Ruzante, Moliere, Marivaux and Shakespeare. As an instructor, he has worked at a number of leading drama schools and universities, and was for many years Head of Acting at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Apart from his acting and directing credits, his professional portfolio also includes fight direction, movement choreography, script development, musical performance and composition. His productions have toured to Canada and Australia. In recent years, he directed and composed for award-winning versions of Les Miserables, Cyrano de Bergerac and Friedrich Durrenmatt’s The Visit, as well as directing the world premiere of Ho Chi Minh in Hong Kong.