i Sebastiani - Timeline Vecchi
 
Commedia dell'Arte
Vecchi Timeline
Before 1545
Before 1545, the world was chaos, and Ser Maphio said, 'let there be a contract'.

There were certainly professional comic actors and troupes before this 1545, but they seem to have been restircted to doing plays only during the brief carnival period each year. Other activities anticipating CdA would have been Buffoni acts of one to a small number of actors attracting an audience to a pitchman. These seem to have typically been Magnifico and his servant Zan, or Capitano and his servant Zan. Specifically, Zuan Polo (d. 1541) played many roles, especially a Croatian charlatan-dottore, Ruzante (d. 1542) was a Zanni, and Calmo (d. 1571) was a Magnifico, each in his own semi-professional troupe.
Year
Vecchi
1545 Ser Maphio's troupe contained a Magnifico.
1546
1547
1548
1549
1550
1551 Benedetto Cantinella plays a Magnifico character. Cantinella may have been playing this character since before 1538.
1552
1553
1554  
1555  
1556
1557
1558
1559
1560
1561
1562
1563
1564
1565
1566 Stefanello Bottarga plays the Magnifico in Zan Ganassa's troupe
Mantuan DOcuments record creation of the role of Gratiano in a professional company.
1567 Pasquati [of Flaminia and Pasquati's Troupe of Rome] was a Pantaloon. Could be Giulio Pasquati who appeared as Pantalone with Gelosi in 1576
Luigi Rogna reports a comedy was performed in Mantua [Wed 3 Sep in which the Graziano was especially good]
1568
1569
1570
1571

Ganassa creates role of Baron de Guenesche.

Confidenti's Dottore Lanterone played by Bernardino Lombardone, actor and author.

1572 Gelosi's Pantalone: Giulio Pasquati of Padua
1573
1574  
1575
1576 Gelosi's Dottore Graziano: Lucio Burchiella
Gelosi's Zanobio da Piombino: Girolamo Salimboni, of Florence
Gelosi's Pantalone: Giulio Pasquati of Padua
1577
1578
1579
1580
1581
1582
1583
1584 Uniti's Magnifico called "Magnifico"
Uniti's Dottore called Gratiano
1585 Valerini's Pantalone: Braga
Gelosi's Dottore Graziano: Lodovicho di Bianchi da Bologna
1586
1587
1588
1589
1590
1591
1592
1593
1594
1595
1596
1597
1598
1599
1600 Gelosi's Pantalone is Giulio Pasquati
Gelosi's Zanobio da Piombino is Girolamo Salimboni
Gelosi's Dottore Gratiano Forbisoni is Lodovico of Bologna
Gelosi's Dottore Siciliano is Francisco Andreini
1601
1602
1603
1604