West African Masquerade
According to West African custom, masquerade can refer to a performance by masked characters, the performer himself, or the character portrayed by the performer. The African style of masquerade is an outdoor event, performed by men, and sometimes limited to the attendance of men. The Ekpe masquerade has its roots in the Nigerian Cross River State and is used in ceremonies accompanied by cultural drama. The Ofirima masquerade, also originating from the Cross River State, features a lead dancer wearing a headpiece resembling a shark. The Yoruba egungun festival, a distinct form of masquerade, honours a family's ancestral spirits.
This variation of Masquerade could be used to influence the style of dance and physical theatre movement we choreograph for our performance, however given our company is mainly comprised of females it would not necessarily be suitable as though to present an accurate depiction of such. We could also take the idea of this being an outdoor event, to present us with more opportunities for staging, however this would contradict the ideas presented in the Mask of the Red Death whereby the nobles are locked inside an abbey.
Venetian Masquerade
There is evidence that Venetians were practising masquerade as far back as the 13th century, when documents mention masked men throwing scented eggs at ladies. Although the wearing of masks was long associated with the Venetian celebration of carnival, 18th century artists' paintings show masquerade also was by then regularly used to conceal questionable behaviour. Renderings of Venetians in gambling houses show both men and women in white, face-shaped masks known as the Bauta and women in black velvet oval masks known as the Moretta.
This suggests that the multiple variations of mask all have a different meaning or purpose, therefore it would be a good idea to look into these and what they all mean, before deciding which may be best suited to our own performance. It could also be considered that we design our own style of mask which relates to our own story. We could potentially look into Venetian carnivals and the traditions surrounding them to draw on ideas of setting and costume for our performance.
Masquerade in England
The masquerade balls of 18th century England were based on the Venetian carnivals and retained an atmosphere of the carnivalesque. Masquerade festivals sometimes honored a member of royalty or celebrated a special event. For all their gaiety, however, masquerades balls and festivals had strict rules. Costumes had to make the wearer unidentifiable and conversations between attendees began with set phrases such as "I know you" and "Do you know me?" Masquerade celebrations allowed participants to leave social mores and standing behind. Men dressed as women, women as men, and there was much intermingling of social classes as the lower classes often could afford tickets to the public masquerades.
The strict rules mentioned in English Masquerade festivals could act as guidelines for us to base our performance upon. The typical conversation starters should definitely be incorporated somewhere in our performance, if only once, or potentially to address the audience with a monologue or soliloquy. Social boundaries were abandoned at these events, and therefore we should research into what these were in order to think about what exactly would be deemed extravagant for that period rather than in that of our own.
The strict rules mentioned in English Masquerade festivals could act as guidelines for us to base our performance upon. The typical conversation starters should definitely be incorporated somewhere in our performance, if only once, or potentially to address the audience with a monologue or soliloquy. Social boundaries were abandoned at these events, and therefore we should research into what these were in order to think about what exactly would be deemed extravagant for that period rather than in that of our own.
Caribbean and American Carnivals
Carnival, an annual celebration in the Caribbean islands involving masquerade performance, originated on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. It is a mixture of folklore and religion. Jankunu is a carnival-style masquerade parade that takes place in many Caribbean islands on Boxing Day, New Years Day and, in Grand Bahamas, the summer. Jankunu parades are also held in Miami and Key West, Florida, and in Knoxville, Tennesee. Mardi Gras, originally a pagan celebration of Spring, also features masquerade. The celebration was later incorporated into Christian Lenten traditions in Italy, Spain and France.
Research folklore and religious customs of these countries.
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MASQUERADE MASK
Upon further research I discovered the variety of different mask shapes each had different meanings, and that there was also just as many of them as there are rooms in Allen Poe's novel. This led me to consider these meanings and whether they could later be applied to the characters representing then rooms.
The Bauta
Looks like: It’s got a square-ish jaw, large chin, and no mouth. Covers the full face and is often either heavily gilded or stark white.
Historically: Standardized Venetian disguise required at political decision-making events, thereby ensuring anonymity.
The Colombina
Looks like: It’s a half-mask that is often heavily decorated. Often colourful, this type of mask only covers the wearer’s eyes, cheeks, and sometimes nose.
Historically: Named after a maidservant in the Commedia dell’arte; originally the female counterpart of the Bauta.
The Medico della Peste
Looks like: It’s got a really long hollow beak, round eyes (and sometimes wire glasses). Usually simple in design, rarely ornate.
Historically: Worn by plague doctors to prevent the spread of disease.
This could be worn by Matthew's doctor character for his monologues regarding the washing of hands and body embalming.
The Volto
L-R: Volto Macrame Maschile Gold, Volto Barocco Gold
Looks like: It’s a simple style that covers the entire face, and depicts basic facial features such as the lips and nose.
Historically: Guaranteed complete and utter anonymity as no part of the face shows.
The Pantalone
Pulcinella Bordeaux, Capitano Ibiz, Naso Pulcinella Silver
Looks like: Features a sizeable hook nose that looks like a beak, and slanted eyes.
Historically: Derived from a classic character in Italian theater, Pantalone had a witty, intelligent personality.
The Arlecchino
L-R: Trepunte Uomo Stick, Tricorno Tarocchi Uomo
Looks like: Joker-like, colorful, with a short nose and arched brows. Sometimes the mask includes a large headpiece and/or collar, possibly with bells on.
Historically: Another character from the Commedia dell’arte; Arlecchino is devoid of reason and often the servant of the wittier, more intelligent Pantalone.
Perhaps could be assigned to the "Blue Room"'s character, as they almost act as servant towards Prince Prospero.
The Zanni
Zanni Gold
Looks like: A long nose, not too dissimilar from the Medico della Peste. Also features bulging eyebrows and a low forehead.
Historically: But beware—the longer the nose, the stupider the character is deemed!
The Moretta
The freedom Venetian women enjoyed is well represented by a mask which was not aimed at hiding the wearer’s face, but rather at drawing someone’s attention: the Moretta, or Muta.
Muta means “mute”: women wearing this mask were, indeed, unspeaking, since it could only be held to the face by gripping one’s teeth on the button placed inside it. Only when she wanted to finally give an answer and some peace to the man who was addressing her, she put the mask down and revealed herself and her feelings
The Moretta is therefore a way for women – who were, indeed, the only ones wearing this mask – to create an aura of mystery and to become intriguing, in a city where they could not simply rely on their bodies to be attractive in the eyes of men. Meaningful features of this mask are its colour and its size, as well: as the name itself reveals, the Moretta was black, though it did not completely hide a woman’s face, being a small oval covering her face only up to the eyes and down to the mouth.
Together with this mask, women often wore a long taffeta cloth, the xendal, which was originally used by ladies to cover their head and shoulders. Interestingly, this garment, which was later developed into a closed cloth wholly made of lace, was also used as the lace trim for the Bauta cape.
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