Commedia dell'Arte
It was such a popular genre, that commedia lasted for two hundred years, sometime between 1550 and 1775.
Commedia dell'Arte inspired future theatrical events such as improvised storytelling and comedy. Examples: Paul Sills's Story Theatre, the Second City troupe in Chicago, and "Saturday Night Live."
For more info on Commedia DellArte: http://shane-arts.com/commedia.htm