Sam Stetzer/ Winonan

The Theatre and Dance Department will begin their next performance on Wednesday, April 9, performing “The Venetian Twins,” a commedia dell’arte play. Comprised of slapstick comedy, sword fights and visual jokes, the play runs through Saturday, April 12, beginning at 7:30 p.m. each night on the main stage of the Performing Arts Center.

Jim Williams, the theatre department chair and director of “The Venetian Twins,” is excited to do this theatrical work because of its unique context and origin.

“Expect really silly, stupid stuff,” Williams said. “There’s some improv in it, there’s a lot of contemporary references with visual gags. We’re trying to do it at break neck speed.”

Commedia dell’arte plays originate from Italy and are often comprised of improvised sketches based off of scenarios. These plays are highly comedic, and “The Venetian Twins” is no exception.

“We always do regular or mainstream,” Williams said. “‘The Venetian Twins” is an 18th century piece. It’s been adapted, but it’s a classical piece.”

Audiences who attend should expect the unexpected in this comedy of confusion. There is plenty to pay attention to and keep track of throughout the performance.

“Basically, there’s a set of twins who everybody confuses, and hilarity and chaos basically ensues. Twins, confusion, relationships, sword fights, slow motion, really stupid jokes,” Williams said.

Since the first week of February, cast and crew have been hard at work, all the while broadening their acting chops. Actors have had to change their natural way of acting and adapt to a more physical and unique style with help from professionals who were brought in to assist the actors with this new style of performing. For Williams, it was the perfect way to get the actors more involved and prepared for this style of show.

“They’ve had to work their butts off,” Williams said. “It’s a lot of physical work, the technique is different than doing regular plays dramas.”

Besides learning a new style, the professionals who were brought in taught the actors sword fighting and physical theatre: something many of the student actors had not done before.

“We brought in a fight coach who worked with them for a couple weeks,” Williams said. “We also brought in a professional physical actor who came for a weekend.”

For audiences and actors, this unique style of performance in “The Venetian Twins” hopes to provide a new and interesting comedic experience.

“It’s very physical, based in physical theater, and it’s an opportunity for the students to do a different genre of theatre than the realistic, naturalistic dramas or comedies. So, it’s a big broad comedy with a lot of jokes, with a lot of really stupid stuff,” Williams said.