The intention of this particular character is to ensure a higher status than the other servants in order to meddle in their affairs. For this reason, he first makes sure to earn their trust before proceeding with the fulfillment of his plan.

Newman hails from London, England. He studied at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Warwick in England, at the Dell’Arte International School in California under the guidance of Joan Schirle, and trained in Commedia Dell’Arte and Neutral Mask Making with Donato Sartori in Padua, Italy.

Since then, he has been crafting leather masks belonging to the Commedia Dell’Arte tradition, as well as neutral masks specifically designed for actor training. His masks are used in acting schools as well as by theatre companies for the creation of performances.

Newman has created leather performance masks for the following theatre companies:

• Cirque du Soleil – Saltimbanco (Paris)

• Teatro Zinzanni (San Francisco)

• Theatro Choros (Thessaloniki, Greece)
  …and many other performance companies across North America, Australia, and Europe.

Leather neutral and Commedia masks for theatre education programs include:

• Dell’Arte International, Blue Lake, California

• Accademia Dell’Arte, Arezzo, Italy

• The Central School of Speech and Drama (London)

• Globe Theatre (London)

• Swedish National Theatre (Stockholm)

• University of California (Berkeley and Fresno)

• Ecole Mondiale (Mumbai, India)
  …as well as numerous universities and schools across Europe, Australia, Asia, and America.

Mask-making process
The leather masks are crafted from vegetable-tanned cowhide. Each one is handmade using special smoothing tools and a horn hammer. Newman employs traditional Italian techniques to shape and finish his masks. The resulting pieces are durable, lightweight, and comfortable to wear.

He is the character who always falls victim to deceit because he believes the world around him is innocent. He becomes enthusiastic like a child—marveling at the sky, the trees, and the flowers, as they share the same purity that defines him. He also falls in love very easily and wishes to devote himself completely to his partner.

He is the character who always falls victim to deception because he believes that the world around him is innocent. He becomes excited like a small child—by the sky, the trees, the flowers—because they possess the same purity that he himself embodies. He also falls in love very easily and wishes to devote himself completely to his partner.

As a character, he is miserly and always looks for ways to accumulate money. He represents the elderly upper class, losing his worth as he flirts, becomes corrupted, makes unforgivable mistakes, and fails, while his servants exploit and mock him without his realizing it. Everyone sets traps for him, and he inevitably falls victim to them.

She is stingy and always looks for ways to accumulate money. She represents the elderly upper class, losing her worth as she flirts, becomes corrupted, makes unforgivable mistakes, and fails, while her servants exploit and mock her without her realizing it. Everyone sets traps for her, and she inevitably falls victim to them.

His main characteristic is his reputation for sharp wit and trickery. His profession is that of a servant. The character Zanni comes from the countryside and is usually a migrant worker. He is clever and witty, capable of deceiving anyone. He is also known as the mediator.

They are among the characters who are easily deceived. They often become the laughingstock of others and are not known for their intellectual sharpness. Socially, they belong to the lowest class. Usually, the higher-ranking servants assign them the most difficult household tasks for their masters.

He is the permanent household servant of the house because he is a character trusted by his masters and is an exceptionally good person. He is especially friendly to people, which makes him extremely likable.

She is Zanni’s wife. She is domineering toward him. She is the one who gives Zanni advice on how to have a good relationship with his master. Socially, she is largely dominant. Her attempts to control everything always end in complete chaos. The Commedia Franceschina mask combines the actions of the mouse and the weasel.

He is a simple, honest servant. He is depicted as the unsuccessful lover and is most often the target of pranks by others. He is not particularly clever. Pedrolino is a character that became very popular in later French pantomimes under the name Pierrot.

She is one of the clever maidservants. She enjoys the company of men. She easily becomes desirable. She is polite. She can pretend to be foolish to achieve what she wants and to distract men. She is self-deprecating and has a strong sense of humor.

She is an elderly woman with a dark past. She is extremely talkative, almost a “gossiper.” She knows a lot of information about each neighbor individually. She can become cunning and scandalous to get what she wants, but deep down she is kind.

He takes the form of a dog. To the social environment, he is foolish, clumsy, and boring. He is exploited by members of the upper social class and, often due to their clumsiness, they are punished and become objects of ridicule.

He is the elderly servant. His main characteristic is constant stuttering. He struggles greatly to speak and usually gets stuck on syllables. He gets angry quickly at his mistakes. He is not easily understood by his interlocutor, which often leads him to be marginalized.

As a woman, she is very sensual and enjoys flirting with men. She is efficient in her work. She is carefree, possesses sharp wit, and cleverly attains a higher social status. She is not interested in accumulating wealth. She places great importance on having fun and enjoying herself.

He is one of the most dangerous and ruthless servants. He enjoys creating problems and misunderstandings among people. However, he always wants to maintain a good relationship with the master he serves by flattering and praising them. He does not hesitate even to kill anyone who stands in his way to achieve his goals.

He is a dual-natured character. He can pretend to be foolish or behave as if he is the smartest and most capable, despite being ignorant. He is a social chameleon, trying to earn the respect of those with lower status than him. He is the personality that soothes those in positions of power.

He is a lover of drink and food. He adores women but is deceitful and is often caught cheating on them. He is characterized as the “rat of love.” Il Dottore usually speaks nonsense. He is a magnet for female attention and can easily win them over.

He is the character who, in order to satisfy his master, will sacrifice himself. He uses every technique available to achieve his goals, and to succeed, he may pretend to take on roles, e.g., that of a soldier or a woman. He has a high level of energy and can perform all kinds of acrobatics.

He is the loyal servant who makes many blunders on stage and is characterized by the absurdity of his actions. His movements and actions are unpredictable. He is clever and cunning in order to achieve his goals. He is charming to women.

As a personality, he is sarcastic, cunning, and deceitful. He will do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. This character holds power over the Zanni and belongs to a higher social class. When working for someone, it is only as a means for his own personal gain. He is capable of doing any kind of work—or at least appears to offer it. He knows a great deal about anything that can aid in his schemes.

He possesses combined traits of all the aforementioned Dottore characters.

He is the loyal servant who makes numerous blunders on stage and whose actions are often erratic. His movements and deeds are unpredictable. He is clever and cunning in order to achieve his goals and is charming to women.

This character speaks in great detail about imaginary military conquests in an attempt to impress others. However, he often ends up impressing only himself. In this way, he becomes boring to his interlocutors, who eventually avoid him.

He is boastful, taking pride in the fact that none of the locals know him. He has Spanish origins and is a mercenary soldier. This character was likely inspired by the Iberian “Caudillos,” who told grand stories about their exploits, whether in the conquest of the Americas or in wars with Germany.

It was developed within the training method proposed by Jacques Lecoq and inspired by the neutral masks of Sartori, which were used at the École Lecoq in Paris, France. Jacques Lecoq, together with the Italian sculptor Sartori, fully developed the methods and the neutral mask itself for actor training.

The neutral mask is a mask of calmness. It lacks any expression and represents a being with no past and no thought for the future. It exists only in the present. The mask is used to help actors understand and develop an increased sense of discovery, spatial awareness, greater presence, and deep self-awareness. It is a valuable tool for actor education.

It was created within the training method proposed by Jacques Lecoq and was inspired by Sartori’s neutral masks, which were used at the École Lecoq in Paris, France. Jacques Lecoq, together with the Italian sculptor Sartori, fully developed the methods and the neutral mask itself for actor training.

The neutral mask is a mask of calmness. It lacks any expression and represents a being with no past and no thought for the future. It exists only in the present. The mask is used to help the actor understand and develop an enhanced sense of discovery, spatial awareness, greater presence, and deep self-awareness. It is a valuable tool for actor education.