Intersectionality and Commedia
Intersectionality is such an important idea to wrap our brains around (I mean everyone). It came from a place of further inequality. It came from the realization that although many programs and initiatives helped Black people and many helped women - somehow black women were not benefiting from those programs for the two communities they were a part of. One might exist within multiple communities, but not benefit from either. SO, when two identities intersect, that creates a new point of focus - in this case, black women.
I bring this up because I cannot shake this feeling like maybe Commedia is really bad at intersectionality. Or maybe the way we have been doing commedia is not good at it? Let me explain:
Commedia characters are a bit simple. Or simplistic. They do not grow (which is something Western storytelling loves in characters). They are who they are and meet the world that way - which often leads to hilarious results. To better understand, let me talk about how a character is built.
Characters are made from archetypes (kinda like a base formula). And archetypes are simple. There are some main elements...
Name:
Class:
Lower / Middle / Upper
Drive/Need:
Sex / Food / Power / Money / Other:
Core Characteristics:
And to explain that final section, those core things are like...
Dottore is a know-it-all blow-hard. Meaning he says much but knows little.
But because he is Upper class, he is listened to and followed or at least listened to…
One thing that Tut’Zanni as a company has been exploring is pulling gender into the mix. If Dottore is a female is that interesting?, or is it just a female taking on a male formula (i.e. not interesting). Does that mean we need female-specific archetypes to fully explore the breadth and depth of women? Or are these formulas outside gender?
Bringing one other layer of identity into the mix has complicated things. This is a good challenge that we are HAPPY to explore. However, if we bring more layers of identity into the mix - will that challenge the form further? Will that force it to grow in ways it never knew? Will it change the way to outline archetypes?
I HOPE, but we don’t know yet. We need to keep exploring.
In Commedia, an actor is what an actor is. So a man could play a man playing a woman but not a woman. So, a white person is a white person and a black person is a black person. If we bring race into the layers of identity - will the archetypes hold up? Or do they fall apart because they were all outlined by white guys long dead?
So that brings me back to… is Commedia bad at showcasing/celebrating/articulating intersectionality?
Or is it only that it is right now?
- Patrick