Both men were chagrined to discover that they had been called to serve with the troupe of comedians.
As access to the companies increased, the old scenario of a youth 'running off ' to join an itinerant troupe was reinvigorated.
In 1697, however, the theatre was closed overnight by royal decree and the troupe expelled, due to the licentiousness of some of its performances.
The theatre had an administrative section, an experimental performing troupe, a creative workshop, and a theatre studio for training new talent.
Although the hero and heroine roles are the highest in the troupe's hierarchy, the clowns also remain popular favourites.
Were there really troupes of silent, rapidly signing prehominids?
The current repertoire of the troupe comprises twenty plots, but the stories are not as important as the singing abilities of the performers.
The longer performances of commedia troupes were constructed around a scenario on which the performers improvised on the sequencing and structuring of set pieces.
