Harlequino’s Folly was produced in collaboration with Vancouver artist Adad Hannah and WHoS (William Head on Stage), Canada’s only theatre company run by incarcerated artists. The Circle Project had worked with Adad on What Fools These Mortals Be, and loved his humour, ability to work collectively and his use of the tableaux vivant as a mode of storytelling–perfect for a project with a constrained time span. WHoS had been mounting plays in the prison for over 40 years and helped expertly guide us through the many complex logistics of filming inside a federal correctional institution. The project evolved through a 6-week series of workshops where Commedia dell’ Arte emerged as a rich, conceptual frame. A form of Italian popular theatre of the 16th century, Commedia is subversive, pitting the cunning of the serving class against the pomposity, greed and narcissism of the higher orders.

Commedia’s bawdy humour seemed particularly suited to the form of tableaux vivants which we have populated with Commedia’s most colourful characters: Il Dottore; the wealthy and ancient Pantalone; the braggart Il Capitano; the tavern owner Brighella; the nobleman Tartaglia; the brigand Scaramouche; the clown Pucinella and, of course, the Harlequinos. There is no plot or story, instead the installation stages a series of lazzi, or comic shticks which showcase the ingenuity, talent and joyful performance of our collaborators.