Masks
In header above: “The Seven Ages of Man,” a commission inspired by Jaques’ “All the World’s a Stage” monologue in Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.”
Wendy stumbled into the craft of mask making while studying at the Dell ‘Arte School of Physical theatre in 1995. From 1998-2014, Wendy ran “Arlecchina’s Masks” selling her work to collectors, performers, directors, theatres, and educators around the world. Many of the masks pictured here were custom made for a specific performance and specific actors. She incorporated her own masks into her solo show, The Divine Madness of Isabella, performed multiple times in Los Angeles.
- All
- Commedia
- Character Masks
- Greek Gods
- Greek Theatre
- Half Masks
- Leather
- Decorative
- Gargoyles
- Deities and Myths
- Seven Ages of Man
- Animals
- Asian Influenced
- Neutral
- Midsummer

100_1753

Sun and Moon

Pyramus speechifying.
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" Write Act Rep.

Ceres
From "the Tempest" at Theatre Unleashed.

Arlecchino, Capitano & Dottore
"A Company of Wayward Saints," Write Act Rep

From Oedipus
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden of a Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh and Butoh.

Broke Nose – Man

Comedy – Middle Aged Man

Il Dottore
"A Company of Wayward Saints," Write Act Rep

From Oedipus
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden of a Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh and Butoh.

Cheryl 2

Disgust
Originally Created for Kafka's "The Trial," Write Act Rep.

Charun
In Etruscan mythology, Charun (also spelled Charu, or Karun) acted as one of the psychopompoi, or guides of the dead to the underworld.

Tom in the Flesh

From Oedipus
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden of a Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh and Butoh.

Dark Laughter
Originally Created for Kafka's "The Trial," Write Act Rep

Scapino
"A Company of Wayward Saints," Write Act Rep.

Stubby – Half

Harlequin

Comedy – Pimp

Arlecchino 2
Probably the best known and most beloved commedia character, Arlecchino is the perpetually hungry servant, the clever fool whose antics are the stuff of legend.

Young Man – Half

A Pair of Toms

Scapino
"A Company of Wayward Saints," Write Act Rep

Comedy – Henchman 1

Cynicism
Originally Created for Kafka's "The Trial," Write Act Rep.

Comedy – Henchman 2

From ‘Oedipus’
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden of a Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh and Butoh.

Tragedy – Medea

From Oedipus
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden of a Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh and Butoh.

Bottom
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" Write Act Rep.

Arlecchino 3
Probably the best known and most beloved commedia character, Arlecchino is the perpetually hungry servant, the clever fool whose antics are the stuff of legend.

The Boogeyman

From Oedipus
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden of a Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh and Butoh.

Ocean

The Fat Cat in blue

Birds of a Feather

The Father

Tom in Pink

From Oedipus
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden of a Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh and Butoh.

Pantalone
"A Company of Wayward Saints" at Write Act Rep.

Cheryl 3

Ages of man – half

Three Fat Cats

Max x 2

Tragedy – Young Man

Oedipus – Tiresias
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden in Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh, and Butoh.

Zeus
Zeus is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus.

From Oedipus
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden of a Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh and Butoh.

v
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden of a Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh and Butoh.

Pyramus’ Death
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" Write Act Rep.

Soldier

Comedy – Red Beard

Sunset

Woman – Half

Dionysus
Dionysus is the Greek god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre.

Artemis
Artemis is the Ancient Greek goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She is Apollo's twin, and is identified with Selene, the personification of the Moon.

Thisbe at the death of Pyramus.
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" Write Act Rep.

Horse

La Vittoria
Vittoria Piisimi, prima donna of the Gelosi. Created for "The Divine Madness of Isabella."

Bouffon Ball
"The Trial," Write Act Rep

Pulcinella
Pulcinella is a Neapolitan addition to the Commedia stock characters. He usually has a hunchback and crooked nose.

Worblehat

Red Neutral

100_1760

Hermes
Hermes is a Greek god and considered the messenger of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. He is able to move quickly and freely between the worlds of the mortal and the divine aided by his winged sandals. Hermes is also a psychopomp, a conductor of souls into the afterlife.

The Hellhounds

Alrecchina in the Flesh

Scotty x 2

Capitano and Columbina
"A Company of Wayward Saints," Write Act Rep

From Oedipus
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden of a Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh and Butoh.

From Oedipus
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden of a Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh and Butoh.

Murder

Tragedy – King Aegeus

Hephaestus
Hephaestus is the Greek god of artisans, blacksmiths, carpenters, craftsmen, fire, metallurgy, metalworking, sculpture and volcanoes.

Man – Half

Stupino in Orange
"Stupino" is a modern addition to the Commedia Stock characters, created and developed at the Dell' Arte School of Physical Theatre, in Blue Lake, California. He/She is generally a servant. None too bright, Stupino usually has a good heart.

From Oedipus
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden of a Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh and Butoh.

Derisive Laughter
Originally Created for Kafka's "The Trial," Write Act Rep.

Arlecchino
"A company of Wayward Saints" Write Act Rep

Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. Flowers would blossom wherever Aphrodite walked.

The Seven Ages of Man

Scotty in Lavender

Zeus (older)
Zeus is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus.

Demeter
Demeter is the Greek goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth.

Comedy – Man 2

Gargoyle
"Cheeks"

Socrates
A fellow getting his PhD in philosophy commissioned this mask. He said he couldn't imagine graduating without an enormous mask of Socrates.

Hades
Hades is the Greek god of the dead and the king of the underworld (with which his name became synonymous). Hades' realm is guard by the three headed dog Cerberus.

From Oedipus
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden of a Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh and Butoh.

Blanche

Comedy – Middle Aged Woman

Greek Masks
Variation

Hot Lips

Bottom with Titania.
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" Write Act Rep.

From Oedipus
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden of a Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh and Butoh.

The Fat Cat in Red

Artemis
Artemis is the Ancient Greek goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She is Apollo's twin, and is identified with Selene, the personification of the Moon.

Tartaglia
Tartaglia- 'Stutterer' is a character in the commedia dell'arte. He is usually classed as one of the older characters (vecchio).

Neutral

The Seventh Age

Columbina and Pantalone
"A Company of Wayward Saints," Write Act Rep

The First Age – in yellow

From Oedipus
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden of a Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh and Butoh.

Old Woman – Half

Character Masks
"The Trial," Write Act Rep

Columbina and Pantalone
"A Company of Wayward Saints," Write Act Rep

Alfred
Alfred was based on the famous profile of Alfred Hitchcock.

The Masque of the Red Death
This pair was created for a performance of Edgar Allen Poe's, "The Masque of the Red Death." The masks are held together with magnets, allowing the performer a seamless reveal.

Corinthian Women

Oedipus Blinded
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden in Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh, and Butoh.

Ares
Ares is the Greek god of war and courage. He embodies the physical valor necessary for success in war but can also personify sheer brutality and bloodlust, in contrast to his sister, the armored Athena, whose martial functions include military strategy and generalship.

Pantalone
"A Company of Wayward Saints," Write Act Rep

Gargoyle
"Fangs"

Ghosts
These ghosts, built on masks from the Greek Theatre, were attached to a pole controlled by an actor and suspended in the air.

Ghost
This fellow was never actually worn but suspended from a pole, with several others, each with a long white flowing drape behind them

Red Neutral

Perez

Red Neutrals

Oedipus – Messenger
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden in Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh, and Butoh.

Zanni

Capitano
"A Company of Wayward Saints," Write Act Rep

Theseus
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" Write Act Rep.

Capitano

Capitano

Pulcinella in the Flesh
Pulcinella is a Neapolitan addition to the Commedia stock characters. He usually has a hunchback and crooked nose.

Max in the Flesh

Neutrals – Group

Brighella

Oedipus -Shepherd
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden in Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh, and Butoh.

Cynicism – Half

Three Fates
For Lorca's "Blood Wedding"

Juno
From "the Tempest" at Theatre Unleashed.

Derisive Laughter – Half

Scapino
"A Company of Wayward Saints," Write Act Rep

Prima donna

Harlequin – Full Face

Sedna
Sedna is the goddess of the sea and marine animals in Inuit mythology, also known as the Mother of the Sea or Mistress of the Sea. The story of Sedna, which is a creation myth, describes how she came to rule over Adlivun, the Inuit underworld.

100_1756

The First Mask
The was the fist mask I ever made, while I was a student at Dell 'Arte.

Max in Yellow

Shock – Half

Alfred – profile
Alfred was based on the famous profile of Alfred Hitchcock.

Tragedy – Young Man 1

Three Goddesses
Thetis, Athena, and Hera relaxing during rehearsal.

Arlecchina

The Trial 2

Proud/Sad
This mask has an excellent example of a "swing" - in one position the mask looks haughty and proud, and from a different angle, it looks miserable. Most masks have at least one swing, some have many. Some swings are very distinct, as in this one, others are quite subtle.

Oedipus – Creon
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden in Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh, and Butoh.

Scotty in Pink

Comedy – Old Man

Iris
From "the Tempest" at Theatre Unleashed.

Three Cheryls

Piggy Dottore

Tragedy – King Creon

Comedy – Man 1

Pyramus
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" Write Act Rep. As Bottom plays Pyramus, he attempts to imitate his 'betters.'

Brighella – female
There are almost no masks in the traditional Commedia for women (female characters were played without masks). Creating female versions of traditionally male masks yields interesting new possibilities.

Thisbe
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" Write Act Rep. Francis Flute playing 'Thisbe' attempts to imitate Hippolyta's warrior ask, with limited success.

Old Woman Death – Half
For Lorca's "Blood Wedding"

Stupino in Lavender
"Stupino" is a modern addition to the Commedia Stock characters, created and developed at the Dell' Arte School of Physical Theatre, in Blue Lake, California. He/She is generally a servant. None too bright, Stupino usually has a good heart.

Comedy – Man 3

Satyr 1

From Oedipus
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden of a Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh and Butoh.

From Oedipus
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden of a Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh and Butoh.

Comedy – Old Woman

Thetis
In Greek Mythology, Thetis is a sea nymph, a goddess of water, and one of the 50 Nereids, daughters of the ancient sea god Nereus. She is also the mother of Achilles.

From Oedipus
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden of a Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh and Butoh.

Columbina

Sexy Woman – half

Bottom in Titania’s Fairy Court.
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" Write Act Rep.

Hippolyta
"A Midsummer Night's Dream" Write Act Rep.

Gargoyle
"Ears"

Moon

Zanni

100_1757

Hera
Hera is the Greek goddess of marriage, women, and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. She is queen of the twelve Olympians and Mount Olympus, sister and wife of Zeus. One of her defining characteristics is her jealousy and vengeful acts towards Zeus's numerous adulterous lovers and illegitimate offspring.

Oedipus
This production at the Classic Greek Theatre of Portland Oregon set "Oedipus" in a Zen Garden in Mythical Thebes, blending elements of Japanese Kabuki, Noh, and Butoh.

Apollo
Apollo is the Greek Deity of the Sun, truth and prophecy, healing and medicine, archery, music, dance, and poetry, and more.

Piggy Dottore With Glasses

Disgust and Cynicism
"The Trial" Write Act Repertory

Middle Age Man – Half

Poseidon
Poseidon is the Greek God presiding over the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses. He was the protector of seafarers.

Guard

Mule

Athena
Athena is an the Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft.