Physical theatre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Physical theatre is a general term used to describe any mode of performance that pursues storytelling through primarily physical means. There are several quite distinct traditions of performance which all describe themselves using the term "physical theatre", which has led to a lot of confusion as to what the definition of physical theatre actually is.
The term "physical theatre" has been applied to performances consisting mainly of:
- Mime
- Contemporary dance
- Theatrical Clowning and other physical comedy
- Some forms of puppetry, especially large scale
- Theatrical Acrobatics
While performances based around all of the above could equally claim to be "physical theatre," it is often difficult to draw a distinct boundary between what is and what is not physical theatre, and distinctions are often made quite arbitrarily by critics and performing companies.
It may utilize pre-existing text, but the first consideration is the body. It is a highly visual theatre. The action in physical theatre may have a psychological base, or point to an emotional centre, or have a clear storyline, but the means of expression are through physical interaction. It can grow out of codified forms, improvisational work, or invented gestural language among other means of creation.
Modern physical theatre has grown from a variety of origins. Mime and theatrical clowning schools such as L'Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris have had a big influence on many modern expressions of physical theatre, and practitioners such as Steven Berkoff and John Wright received their initial training at such institutions. Eastern European practitioners have also had a strong influence on modern physical theatre, and both Vsevolod Meyerhold and Jerzy Grotowski are regarded by many as "fathers" of modern physical theatre. Japanese traditional forms such as Kabuki, No and Bunraku led into modern forms of Butoh and the work of Tadashi Suzuki. Contemporary Dance has also had a strong influence on what we regard as physical theatre, partly because most physical theatre requires actors to have a level of physical control and flexibility rarely found in those who do not have some sort of movement background. Modern physical theatre also has strong roots in more ancient traditions such as Commedia dell'arte and some suggest links to the ancient Greek theatre, particularly the theatre of Aristophanes.
Daniel Stein, a teacher out of the lineage of Etienne Decroux, has this to say about physical theatre:
- "I think physical theater is much more visceral and audiences are affected much more viscerally than intellectually. The foundation of theater is a live, human experience, which is different from any other form of art that I know of. Painting, writing, music happen in a mostly interpretive way, which is to say that somebody sits down and writes something and then somebody else interprets it, often in front of a camera. Live theater, where real human beings are standing in front of real human beings, is about the fact that we have all set aside this hour; the sharing goes in both directions. The fact that it is a very physical, visceral form makes it a very different experience from almost anything else that we partake of in our lives. I don’t think we could do it the same way if we were doing literary-based theater."
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[edit] Companies and practitioners
Modern physical theatre companies and practitioners include, but are by no means limited to:
In Britain:
- Complicite - Artistic Director, Simon McBurney, studied under Jacques Lecoq
- Trestle - famous for their "mask theatre"
- Told by an Idiot - co-founded by John Wright who also studied under Jacques Lecoq
- Chotto Ookii Theatre Company - recognised for their distinctive mixture of Clowning and choregraphy.
- DV8 - a physical theatre company with very strong contemporary dance roots.
Worldwide:
- Double Edge Theatre
- Anne Bogart
- Steven Berkoff
- Philippe Gaulier
- Jacques Lecoq
- Petra Massey
- DV8
- International corporeal mime school in Barcelona Full time training and intensive workshops
- Theatre De L'ange Fou
- Thomas Leabhart
- The Dell'Arte Company
- Amanda Boekelheide
- New York City physical theatre
- Moveo Teatro
- PUSH Physical Theatre - "Like regular theatre... But more painful"
- Cirque du Soleil
- Jon Ferguson
[edit] Venues
- Edinburgh Fringe - particularly at Aurora Nova@St Stephen’s, a fringe venue found in St Stephens church.
[edit] Further reading
- Anne Bogart, The Viewpoints Book
- Robert Cross, Steven Berkoff and the Theatre of Self-Performance
- Jerzy Grotowski, Towards a Poor Theatre
- Ed. Alison Hodge, Twentieth Century Actor Training
- Thomas Leabhart, Modern and Post-Modern Mime
- Vsevolod Meyerhold and Edward Braun, Meyerhold on Theatre
- Tadashi Suzuki, The Way of the Actor
- Darren Stevenson, A Case for Physical Theatre
- John Wright, Why Is That So Funny?: A Practical Exploration of Physical Comedy
[edit] External links
- Physical Theatre Live Journal: A community containing information of Physical Theatre [and everything similar and connecting to it], Physical Theatre performers, companies, books, schools, reviews, tour information, discussions.
