The Servant of Two Masters (2017/18)

Directed by Francesca Savige

Written by Carlo Goldoni, Adapted by Francesca Savige

December 15, 2017 to January 28, 2018

Adapted from Carlo Goldoni’s mid 18 th Century Italian comedy, The Servant of Two Masters is a delicious feast of fun, following the story of an enterprising and perpetually hungry servant who endeavours to work for two masters in order to earn twice the meals!

The Servant of Two Masters is Goldoni’s most popular and loved comedy to this day, and his prolific writing career left a legacy to Italian Theatre. Throughout his life, Goldoni undertook a personal mission to reform the approach to performance in his country. He believed the improvised work of the famous stock-character, masked, Commedia del Arte troupes had become lazy and predictable, and through his scripted dialogue he urged a style of playing that explored the honesty and wit of real life through comedies of characters’ manners and behaviours. With the mask removed, Goldoni aspired to a more accessible and truthful mode of storytelling, with individuality and a sense of realism that reflected contemporary life. This new adaptation of The Servant of Two Masters retains the essence and hilarity of it’s 1700’s source, whilst honouring Goldoni’s own legacy of reform by bringing an immediacy to our contemporary audience.

Director's Note

Adapted from Carlo Goldoni’s mid 18 th Century Italian comedy, The Servant of Two Masters follows the story of an enterprising and perpetually hungry servant who endeavours to work for two masters in order to earn twice the meals.

The Servant of Two Masters is Goldoni’s most popular and loved comedy to this day, and his prolific writing career left a legacy to Italian Theatre. Throughout his life, Goldoni undertook a personal mission to reform the approach to performance in his country. He believed the improvised work of the famous stock-character, masked, Commedia del Arte troupes had become lazy and predictable, and through his scripted dialogue he urged a style of playing that explored the highs and lows of real life through comedies of characters’ manners and behaviours. With the mask removed, Goldoni aspired to a more accessible mode of storytelling, with a truth and individuality that was closer to contemporary life than the commedia archetypes were able to achieve. This new adaptation of The Servant of Two Masters retains the essence of it’s 1700’s source, whilst honouring Goldoni’s own legacy of reform by bringing a fresh and contemporary style to our modern audience.

We would love to thank the whole ensemble for their creative contribution to the script, unless of course you find it utterly hilarious, in which case they contributed nothing. We take full credit.