Angelo Beolco

Beolco, Angelo (c.1502–42), one of the earliest Italian actors and dramatists, connected with the origins of the commedia dell'arte. He was a gifted amateur who acted in Venice, Ferrara, and Padua during the carnival season from 1520 onwards under the name of II Ruzzante, ‘the gossip’, a shrewd peasant who indulges in long and amusing soliloquies. His plays, which are fully written out and not scenarios for improvisation, are in the dialect of Padua, his birthplace. They show a close and sympathetic observation of country life and provide plenty of opportunities for pantomime and comic turns—burle and lazzi. They are highly thought of today and a number have been performed on the Italian stage, notably La moschetta (The Coquette, 1528). They were translated into French in 1925–6 by Beolco's biographer Mortier, and an English version of Il reduce (c.1528), as Ruzzante Returns from the Wars, is included in vol. i of Eric Bentley's The Classic Theatre (1958).

Angelo Beolco , 1502-42, Italian actor and playwright. While managing farms belonging to his family, Beolco had much contact with Paduan peasants, with whom he was deeply sympathetic. Their way of life formed the background for his rustic comedies featuring the peasant "Ruzzante," the name commonly given Beolco himself. Using the Paduan dialect, he brought great descriptive powers to his witty depiction of country life.

Calmo, Andrea (1509–71), Italian playwright and amateur actor, a gondolier by profession, who seems to have had a considerable influence on the development of the commedia dell'arte. A contemporary and rival of Angelo Beolco, he specialized in playing old men, somewhat in the style of Pantalone, though the name was not yet in use. His plays were edited by Rossi in 1888.