Download Physical Theatre Information For Performance

PHYSICAL THEATRE INFORMATION FOR PERFORMANCE
Lyn Gardner, The Guardian:
“Theatre is a physical and visual medium, but the play’s not always the thing. There is a strand of
theatre – the physical and the visual – that speaks a completely different language from the traditional
well-made play and spans theatre, puppetry, dance and visual arts. This work uses the language of
gesture, an area of theatre that in the past was dubbed mime and thought of as entirely silent. Nowadays
such pieces frequently include spoken text, but the body speaks as eloquently as the voice, and one of the
great strengths of this form is that it can often mine the emotions that fall into the silences between words.
Much of this work is devised not scripted, and although many of the companies working in this area
have been influenced by European traditions, increasing numbers of young companies are developing
their own distinct and excitingly high voltage styles.”
Characteristics:
Physical theatre is not led by text. It gives as much weight to visual, physical, musical, non-verbal
expression as it does to words.
It uses movement and bodies in space as starting points. It is not dance. It is never movement just for the
sake of movement. Physical theatre is a genre or style of performance which makes use of the body as its
primary means of performance and communication with the audience. It is a visual form
of theatre where the actor concentrates on the use of the body, shape and position, facial
expression, movement, gesture and posture.
Physical theatre focuses on the ‘narrative’ – which is the telling of a story.
It goes beyond just talking on stage (verbal narrative), incorporating physical and visual
elements on a level at least equal to the spoken word
It has to be more than simply abstract movement – it must include some element of character,
narrative, relationships and interaction between the performers, not necessarily linear or
obvious, but it is not just movement for movement’s sake
It is not dance or gymnastics – every move on stage must have a purpose and communicate
something to the audience. This can be plot, atmosphere, characterization or aspects of a
relationship
It uses modern and contemporary music for a purpose – not just to create an atmosphere but
also as a method of communicating to the audience. Music can become part of character –
lyrics can express their thoughts
It includes a wide variety of styles, approaches and aesthetics – can include dance-theatre,
movement theatre, clown, puppetry, mime, mask, vaudeville and circus.
So what do we expect to see and hear?
-Originality
-Imagination
-Invention
-Storytelling
-Never taking the easy way of communicating with the audience
-Powerful emotions
-Relationships – destructive and supportive ones
-The voice and the body given at least equal status in a performance
-Clear consideration of what you want the audience to understand from your production
(confusion is not enough in physical theatre) – this is not the Theatre of Cruelty but some
Artaudian techniques can be employed
-Naturalistic or heightened/stylized acting
-Use of facial expression and/or masks and/or puppetry
-Music – live or recorded – for atmosphere, or a rhythm or even to tell the story through the
use of lyrics or voice-over
-Costume/appropriate dress and footwear.
The five ways of using physical movement on stage:
Stepping
Travelling
Turning
Jumping
Gesture
A really powerful and effective performance will use as many of the above as possible. During
the first two lessons on this style of theatre you will be taken through a wide range of physical
theatre techniques; they are by no means an exhaustive list so try and invent some of your own or
combine certain techniques. Remember – movement in physical theatre is used to communicate an
idea to the audience. This can be:
Narrative/storytelling
Character
Relationships
Status
It should be used with convincing, naturalistic acting or with more stylized moments. Physical
theatre is not silent. There should be dialogue and music but all theatrical aspects in a physical
theatre show – vocal, physical or music/sound effects – have a theatrical purpose: they must
communicate something to the audience.
The best pieces will tell a story, powerfully – using body and voice – to a soundtrack of some kind.
Objective: In small groups students will create a 2-3 minute physical theatre piece based on an issue in
society. It must incorporate meaningful movement, dialogue and music.