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Laura Anne Brueckner
"The Commedia Workshop"
Sponsor: Dunbar H. Ogden, Professor Emeritus of Dramatic Arts

• Project Description
• Scholar's Photo
• Scholar's Journal

Combining rigorous academic inquiry with the living practice of theater arts, Laura will be researching commedia dell'arte , a style of masked improvisational comedy that flourished in Italy during the Renaissance. She will devote herself to historical research and practical training this summer and will develop, rehearse and produce a commedia dell'arte production during the academic year, using a cast and crew comprised of Berkeley students. Laura plans to revive this dramatic art form in a historically informed way for the benefit of the entire University community, staging her production, along with a related panel presentation, at the Haas Spring Research Conference. As a further goal, she intends that the cast of the Commedia Workshop will continue to function as a UC Berkeley commedia dell'arte theater troupe after the conclusion of her Haas research project.

The Haas Scholars Program has exceeded what I'd expected, especially in facilitating contact with faculty and professionals in fields related to our projects and in training us to think of ourselves as "scholars" right now, instead of at some hazy point in the future.

I threw everything I had into this, and I am more proud of my participation in the program than in anything else I've done. I have learned that a "scholar" is more than a student with a fixation; I have discovered that my work is important and have gained the skills to see my ideas manifest on the stage. This is real magic. With my project as a stepping stone, I have been able to secure a position with a production team from the Center for Theatre Arts to help put on another show this summer. It all only gets better from here.