Scala’s The Fake Husband offers readers and performers an accessible English script which captures the comic brilliance of the commedia dell’arte. Expanded from an earlier scenario, Il marito (The Husband), the play presents characters originally created by members of the Gelosi troupe, in particular the stars Isabella Andreini and Sylvia Roncagli. Scala’s ability to capture the individual artistry of these women makes this script especially exciting and shows his appreciation of the towering contribution made by the female performers who joined the troupes in the 1560s. Also included is a comprehensive study of Scala’s place in the theatrical world and beyond.

The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe - The Toronto Series, volume 75

Rosalind Kerr is Professor Emeritus at the University of Alberta and a fellow at the Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies, Victoria University in the University of Toronto. She has published The Rise of the Diva on the Sixteenth-Century Commedia dell’Arte Stage (University of Toronto Press, 2015) and numerous articles on the contribution of commedia dell’arte actresses to the shaping of the Early Modern European stage.

Acknowledgments xvii
Introduction 1
The Fake Husband, A Comedy 37
Bibliography 163
Index 169