The Dell’Arte Company has been at the forefront of the ensemble theater movement for more than 30 years. Drawing form rich theatrical traditions such as commedia dell’arte, vaudeville, the company has created its own unique theatrical style that is all at once comic, poetic, and vitally connected to the human spirit.
Employing and revitalizing traditional physical theatre forms to explore contemporary concerns, Dell’Arte has created more than 45 award-winning original works and has toured regionally, nationally and internationally, performing from rural communities like Forks of Salmon to international festivals in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Italy, The Netherlands, Denmark, Croatia, Hungary and France. They have recently been seen at The Kennedy Center in Washington,DC and on stages in Minneapolis, Baltimore and New York. In 2006, Dell’Arte was named part of the Leading National Ensemble Theatre Programs, a joint initiative of the Doris DUke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Dell’Arte Director Michael Fields has taken on these roles and many more over the years. He is a founding member and the Producing Artistic Director of the Dell’Arte Company, an internationally recognized Master Teacher of Physical Performance Styles, and Producing Director for the Mad River Festival. He also chairs the California State Summer School for the Arts Theatre Department. He has co-authored 14 Dell’Arte productions, and directed many other productions nationally and internationally. As a member of the Dell’Arte performing ensemble, he has been a recipient of San Francisco Critics Circle, San Diego Critics Circle and Los Angeles Drama-Logue awards. He has served as president of ITI/USA, and as a Theatre Communications Group board member.
