WEEK OF THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE IN THE WORLD
MASK MAYHEM
A vibrant tribute to the tradition of Commedia dell’Arte, reimagined through a modern pop lens
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 | 9:30 AM
Club Fugazi
678 Green St, San Francisco, CA 94133
EVENT FOR SCHOOLS
Wednesday, October 21, 2026 | 7:00 PM
Stanford University – Toyon Hall
455 Arguello Way, Stanford, CA 94305
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC WITH REGISTRATION
Performance in Italian
Arlecchino and Brighella are preparing for an important gala evening at Colombina’s inn. When the guests—the audience itself—arrive too early, the two decide to entertain them and buy some time by improvising a performance inspired by Shakespeare. In the story, a usurper has murdered the king—his own brother—and imprisoned the queen. With the help of Pantalone and the ghost of the late king, Brighella and Arlecchino must save the queen and the kingdom.
The sixty-minute wait before dinner thus becomes a lively metatheatrical journey that blends the most iconic elements of Commedia dell’Arte and classical theater—leather masks, traditional comic lazzi, and references to Hamlet and The Servant of Two Masters—with contemporary pop culture, from cinematic references to modern-inspired musical interludes.
Sponsored by the Italian Cultural Institute San Francisco.