To entertain, educate, and experiment through the practice and performance of Commedia dell’Arte.

We use Commedia to bring out the truest sense of what a play is on the page in order to rediscover classics and create dynamic new work. We at Faction of Fools embody the spirit of Commedia, which is traditional yet innovative, international yet familiar, and classical yet accessible. In performances, actor training, international initiatives, and educational outreach, our brand of Commedia is theatre at its best: physical discipline, spontaneous imagination, collaborative energy, and joyous wonder. 

Our Vision

Originally performed for lower class folks  in the Italian piazza in celebration of the revolutionary spirit of Italian carnevale, Commedia poked fun at society, often making fun of the powerful, and celebrating the triumph of the powerless. Commedia troupes were non-hierarchical: troupes were run by capocomici, or troupe leaders, but capocomici did not “direct,” they organized, and performers specialized in roles of their creation. However, the birth and development of Commedia was steeped in European white supremacy, misogyny, predatory capitalism, and power dynamics which continue to plague modern practices. We believe that Commedia can truly be the comedy of the people. We acknowledge the harm inherent in the form and in our practices of that form, and we will eliminate these harmful elements of this tradition and in our institution. We will adapt a form of masked physical comedy that is more accessible, more inclusive, more timely, and therefore, more vital and rich.

Faction of Fools: We take comedy seriously.