Interview Dodici Magazine : A French Neapolitan

Interview of Angela Severino and Robin Summa for Dodici Magazine, Italy, about their stories, la commedia dell'arte and italian masks.

Photo copyright Giulia Sanità.

From Paris to Naples : Robin and Angela make La commedia dell’Arte comeback to life

 In this interview for Dodici Magazine published on 23 Jan 2019, Robin Summa and Angela Severino, talks about how theater has been a big part of their lifes, thanks to his father, a craftsman of Commedia dell’Arte’s masks. After his father’s death in 2015, Robin decided to honor his memory and continue the family tradition. After leaving teaching in Paris, he moved to Naples in 2017, bringing with him sixty casts of masks and starting to create new ones in leather.

For Robin, Naples was a revelation for its artistic energy. The Commedia dell’Arte, according to Robin, is a space of continuous transgression, precisely because half masks allow the actor to subvert theatrical forms. He also emphasizes the expressive power of the mask as a social and creative tool: for centuries it has allowed people to express themselves and, even today, it offers new possibilities, both personal and collective.

Furthermore, Robin insists on the symbolic and still authentic value of the Pulcinella mask, especially in his hometown, Naples, where it continues to live in popular culture through statues, songs, paintings and street performances. According to him, Pulcinella is the very essence of La commedia dell’Arte, capable of containing all its expressive force and complexity.

- Click here for our masks of Pulcinella