Publish at October 22 2025 Updated October 22 2025
Dramatic techniques are attracting growing interest in adult training, particularly in experiential pedagogies. Among them, commedia dell'arte stands out for its use of the body, masks, improvisation and archetypes.
This article traces its origins, its pedagogical extension (notably with Jacques Lecoq), and explores its uses, benefits and limitations in adult training.
Born in Italy in the XVIᵉ century, commedia dell'arte is improvised theater based on narrative frameworks (canovacci) and character types (Learning Through Theatre). Itinerant troupes performed in squares, fairs and courts across Europe.
Masks, often half-masks, structured the play and gestures (Learning Through Theatre). There are also lazzi, recurring gags expected by the audience (stories.butler.edu). Emblematic characters include Arlecchino, Pantalone, Il Dottore, Il Capitano, Colombina and the Innamorati (Giovanni Fusetti). These archetypes facilitated the identification of social dynamics.
The mask, inherited from Greco-Roman traditions, retains a ritual and expressive function. Jacques Lecoq and Amleto Sartori have updated comic leather masks (ecole-jacqueslecoq.com). The neutral mask, developed by Lecoq, neutralizes facial features to emphasize the body and the economy of movement.
In 1948, Jacques Lecoq discovered commedia in Padua and collaborated with Sartori on masks. His school placed movement, space and improvisation at the center, integrating commedia as a living resource.
This approach is still present in schools such as Dell'Arte International. Lecoq saw commedia as "the childhood of theater", an art of "grand" and direct physical play (Érudit). The mask imposes expressive constraints that clarify the gesture. The pedagogical progression is based on various masks: neutral, larval, expressive and comic (Wikipedia).
Academic traces are rare. Ewald (2005) refers to its potential in higher education (JSTOR). Applied or community theater workshops sometimes incorporate archetypes and improvisation, without always mentioning commedia. The Dell'Arte school explicitly includes it in its curriculum (Dell'Arte International). Some intergenerational programs are inspired by it (Nebraska Arts Council).
However, use must remain critical. The article "The Harm of Teaching Commedia dell'arte to Contemporary Players" highlights the risk of reproducing stereotypes if contextual awareness is lacking (HowlRound Theatre Commons).
In training, you can start with the neutral mask, then explore expressive and comic masks, right up to commedia archetypes. Improvisation around a framework, enriched by lazzi (jokes), stimulates creativity. Archetypes provide a metaphor for analyzing social relationships and power dynamics. These experiences gain in relevance through reflective feedback and their integration into communication, leadership or inclusion modules.
The benefits are manifold: expressive liberation, bringing the body and cognition into play, shedding light on social dynamics, strengthening cohesion and developing embodied reflexivity. Risks include the absence of a secure framework, the reproduction of stereotypes, emotional destabilization, and lack of time, which can reduce the formative effect.
Commedia dell'arte is a dramaturgical resource that combines tradition and contemporaneity. Its potential lies in masks, gestures and improvisation, and is in line with the pedagogies of social theater and play.
Empirical studies would enable us to evaluate its effects on professional training and leadership. The use of digital masks or avatars also opens up new remote perspectives. Finally, the mask is a fertile metaphor for reflecting on trainer postures.
References
Atelierforian (n.d.). Commedia dell'Arte workshop / Masked play / Movement. Atelierforian .
https://www.atelierforian.com/formations/commedia-dell-arte.php?utm
A2R Compagnie. (s.d.). Le Monstre immersif : Stage commedia dell'arte (5 days, 35 h). A2R Compagnie .
https://www.a2rcompagnie.com/lemonstreimmersif?utm
Carré, P. (2010). De l'apprentissage à la formation. Revue française de pédagogie, (172), 5-14 .
https://doi.org/10.4000/rfp.4688
Culture Estrie. (n.d.). Commedia dell'arte : stage d'expérimentation. Culture Estrie .
https://cultureestrie.org/details-evenements/commedia-dellarte-stage-dexperimentation/?utm
Ewald, W. (2005). Commedia dell'arte academica. Theatre Journal, 57(3), 431-452 .
https://www.jstor.org/stable/27559236?utm
Leclercq, V. (2005). Innovation in adult training practices. Diversité, 140, 47-53.
https:// www.persee.fr/doc/diver_1769-8502_2005_num_140_1_2390?utm
Lecoq, J., & Carasso, J.-G. (2000). Le corps poétique. Paris : Actes Sud.
Rey, F. (2018). Pédagogie du jeu masqué: transformer le geste ordinaire en geste signifiant. Annuaire théâtral, (63-64), 61-76. https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/annuaire/2018-n63-64-annuaire05147/1067746ar/?utm
Vergnaud, G. (1992). What is didactics? How can it interest the training of low-skilled adults? Éducation permanente, (111), 13-25.
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