Masks are cultural objects that create an immediate physical effect on people and serve as connector between creators and audiences. They exaggerate gestures and voices. Therefore, in European Theater, they were (and are) used to invent grotesque characters and revolutionary stories that flip social hierarchies. Known as Commedia dell’Arte, these plays, as improvised theater, have been performed throughout Europe from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment. They empowered the people to stand up for their rights and social justice and ended in the French Revolution.

Until today, the dramaturgy and characters of the Commedia dell’Arte are great tools to create theater for the oppressed.

In a lecture performance, I want to demonstrate the impact of masks on the physical body, by using so-called Neutral Masks. Following this, and with Commedia de’ll Arte Masks, I aim to show the dramatic rules of the Commedia dell’Arte and their potential to show relevant conflicts, depict polarization, propose solutions, and provoke social change.