COMMEDIA DELL' OJAI : TEACHER FORMS COMEDY TROUPE AT OJAI CAMPUS.Byline: Victoria Giraud Special to the Daily News Geoff Foley's love of the performing arts led him to the Boy Scouts and comedy when he founded Explorer Scout Post No. 2500, better known to Ojai folks as Commedia dell' Ojai. A track and field coach for 19 years and athletic director Athletic director (commonly, "athletics director") is a position at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, which oversees the work of the coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic at Villanova Preparatory School Villanova Preparatory School is an Augustinian Catholic co-ed day/ boarding school located in the small town of Ojai, California, USA. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, it was founded by Augustinian friars in 1924 and is the only co-ed Augustinian boarding , Foley said there was a need for something like the Commedia. ``The schools didn't have much of a theater program. When they got too old for kiddie kid·die or kid·dy n. pl. kid·dies Slang A small child. kiddie Noun Informal a child programs, what was really lacking was performing arts for kids,'' he said. Commedia is the traveling art of comedy - Commedia dell' Arte - made popular in Europe during the Renaissance with its origins as old as ancient Greece The term ancient Greece refers to the periods of Greek history in Classical Antiquity, lasting ca. 750 BC[1] (the archaic period) to 146 BC (the Roman conquest). It is generally considered to be the seminal culture which provided the foundation of Western Civilization. . Theater troupes, with their wagons full of masks, props ad costumes, would travel from town to town performing broad comedy. ``Plots were simple and were little more than an excuse to get an actor on stage to do his or her shtick shtick also schtick or shtik n. Slang 1. A characteristic attribute, talent, or trait that is helpful in securing recognition or attention: ,'' Foley said. The program boasts as many as 20 youngsters during the school year, male and female, or as few as three in the summer. This January, the troupe performed in a production of ``Romeo and Juliet'' at the Civic Arts Plaza. During the Ojai Shakespeare Festival this weekend, the Commedia will perform two short comedies, ``The Olives,'' and ``The Cowardly Bandits,'' twice an evening, using masks and a few props. Playing all the characters will be: Mario Perez The Cuban artist Mario Perez, born June 17, 1943, emigrated to the United States as a teenager and has focused his artistic career primarily on documenting the pre-war Havana of his youth, noted for his urban landscapes often recreated from memory. , Andrew Ogden and Fabian De La O. The 15-year-old, high school juniors who have been part of Commedia for two years, say they love doing it and plan to continue in college and perhaps beyond. Fabian says acting with the Commedia gives him ``an adrenaline rush.'' Rehearsal sessions for their festival plays were hilarious, the three admit. ``We practiced doing nothing but jokes,'' said Andrew, who then acknowledged that they did run through their plays a couple of times. The three are very fond of Shakespeare and see his plays as more than just poetry. They don't find memorizing lines from Shakespeare or other plays that difficult. Andrew says he accomplishes his memorization mem·o·rize tr.v. mem·o·rized, mem·o·riz·ing, mem·o·riz·es 1. To commit to memory; learn by heart. 2. Computer Science To store in memory: by reading his lines over and over. Fabian said it helps to get a picture going in his mind, and Mario finds acting it out helps the most. Acting in comedies is a favorite pastime for all, but Fabian thinks drama would be ``fun to do.'' Mario feels comedy is fun for laughs and is a important part of drama. People will remember a drama, Mario commented, ``but if it's too heavy, people will go away and won't want to come back.'' The group has established a tradition of staying in a house in Arrowhead when they entertain at the Renaissance Faire, and watching the classic comic film, ``Monty Python Monty Python('s Flying Circus) British comedy troupe. The innovative group, formed in the early 1960s, came to prominence in the 1970s, first on television and later in films. and the Holy Grail'' each year. ``Everyone loves it,'' said Andrew. Mario is the writer of the group and with the aid of ``a lot of divine inspiration'' has written many of the short plays the group performs. He sees things in his own unique way; he might take a typical situation and expand upon it, or give it a twist. ``Walking into a wall I might get an idea,'' he said. Parental support is there for them. Andrew can get in trouble with his mother and ``get grounded, but I can still go to Commedia.'' Besides Commedia, the three have other special interests. Fabian is a passionate mountain biker bik·er n. 1. One who rides a bicycle or a motorbike. 2. A motorcyclist, especially a member of a motorcycle gang. biker Noun a person who rides a motorcycle and loves all types of music, preferably at the higher decibels. ``You can hear him a block away,'' Mario commented. Andrew prefers loud guitar and drum bands, he calls it rock alternative, and likes riding his mountain bike. Mario, who commutes by bus from Oxnard to Villanova Prep, collects Beatles music and enjoys reading his collection of Monty Python scripts and science fiction. Although the Commedia plays are short, these young actors say that it's a lot of work rehearsing and putting them on. Their goal is to do more plays for school children. ``We aim the jokes over the kids' heads to their parents. Kids will laugh at the way things are being said, parents will laugh from what's being said,'' Mario observed. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (color) Mario Perez, 15, of Oxnard, left and Melanie Wilson Melanie Wilson (born Melina DiGuglielmo October 14, 1961) is an American actress best known for her co-starring role as Jennifer Lyons-Appleton in the ABC sitcom Perfect Strangers. , 17, of Ventura sport masks and costumes that the troupe, Commedia dell' Ojai, use in stage performances. Michael Owen
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