You'll see people in Italy in the 1700s fight duels and arrange marriages, but the scenery has a Cafe 210 West reference and the players mention Pattee and other State College landmarks. It's not just a case of familiar plot. The play, performed in the Pavilion Theatre by the highly-capable University Resident Theatre Company, was originally a commedia dell'arte play in Renaissance Italy. To break out a little history, the commedia dell'arte productions were originally just scenes that the actor would pick from a hat backstage. While the plot for Servant was eventually codified by Carlo Goldoni, the improvisation is still there, along with a whole lot of other non-typical theatrical elements.
Performers talk to the audience.
They run through the rows. They pull in popular culture references from Macbeth to Star Wars, with the history of the Pavilion Theatre even coming into play. Smeraldina, played by Joy Hooper, lies underneath Truffaldino, played by Keith Hitchcock, during the photo call Friday for the Goldoni play The Servant of Two Masters. The play, being directed by Mark Olsen, is being presented by the University Resident Theatre Company. Even though he already has one master, he picks up another for the spare cash.