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A mask hides part or all of the face. Most modern western productions don’t use masks, but some genres of work still do. Commedia dell’arte, a traditional Italian form of physical comedy, uses masks and often they appear in Elizabethan and Restoration comedies, where a character might use one as disguise.

In Greek theatre the actors all wore exaggerated masks to communicate character. These were made of wood or leather and amplified the voice so that actors could be heard in the immense Greek amphitheatres. The symbol often used to represent drama, two masks, one depicting tragedy and the other depicting comedy, was inspired by Greek theatre.

Modern day mask work

Some modern theatre companies regularly use masks. Punchdrunk’s production of The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable, for example, insisted that audience members wore masks.

Companies like the Trestle Theatre Company and Vamos Theatre also use mask work. This clip from the Vamos Theatre’s production of Finding Joy shows the exaggerated body movements required when using masks on stage (subtitles are available).

If you’re using masks in your performance remember that your facial expressions can’t be seen so:

• your body language has to be extremely clear
• your movement and gestures need to be exaggerated to show emotions
• you must bring your whole body into the performance

Difficulties using masks

There are difficulties involved in using masks on stage. The actor has to keep the mask facing front because if it is angled upstage, the illusion is lost. The actor also needs to share every gesture clearly with the audience to ensure the meaning is clear. Each performer must give and take focus, so the audience know where to look. Staring out directly at the audience to share a reaction is called ‘clocking the audience’.