Theatre History Overview - Part 84 - Farce

Farces are plays that use highly improbably situations to entertain the audience. They tend to deliberately use humor and nonsense. They are often full of physical comedy, too. Farces go back to antiquity. They are then prominently found throughout Europe (especially the U.K. and France), in the 13th and 14th centuries.

It was during the 15th century in France that modern farce started to take shape. The original farces were plays or comedic acts (even performances of jesters, clowns, and/or acrobats) between the acts of serious plays. These were often the religious plays and the farce was to give the people a break from the lesson being taught by the play. It is thought that the word farce comes from an Old French word or the Late Latin word, farsus, meaning "to stuff." This is because these plays or performances were "stuffed" between the acts of serious plays.

In late 17th century England, the word farce came to mean any short comedic play. This differentiated the plays from the main five act comedies that were mainly known. During the 18th century, David Garrick, who wrote plays based on Italian Farces (such as Miss in Her Teens and The Lying Valet), revolutionized farce on the English stage. These farces often relied on romantic relationships, arranged marriages, and social upheaval. On the Italian stage, stock characters were starting to be created. This led to the creation of Commedia del Arte.

In the 1920s, the bedroom farce or the sex farce was created. This type of play relied on having too many doors, hidden onlookers, and sexual innuendos. Rookery Nook and A Cuckoo in the Nest by Ben Travers are examples of this type of farce. While all types of farce still exist, the bedroom farce seems to be the most common. An example of a bedroom farce is Noises Off by Michael Frayn.

While they are not bedroom farces, if you are having trouble picturing a farce, you can watch sketches by The Three Stooges or Monty Python. These shows relied on absurd situations and physical comedy in order to entertain audiences. This is exactly what farces do.

Watch "Cats in the Piano" by The Three Stooges



Watch "Ministry of Silly Walks" by Monty Python



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