Resources for Theorists

IBDP Teacher Blogs, IBDP Student Blogs, Theatre, Theatre | September 6, 2014
Resources for Theorists

When you start to look for resources to be working on Theorist for inspiration for the Solo Performance, or for use in your own devised pieces, then a good place to start for inspiration by watching the national Theatre’s ‘Five Truths’ that looks at the differences between five of Europe’s most influential theatre practitioners. The question is asked: ‘How would these five directors work with the actress playing Ophelia in the famous mad scene in Shakespeare’s Hamlet?  What would they ask the actress to do and how would they ask the actress to behave?’ (National Theatre website)

‘Five Truths, a video installation asking these questions commissioned by the V&A in partnership with the National Theatre, was created by a group of contemporary theatre makers lead by Katie Mitchell. The multi-screen installation brings together five interpretations of Ophelia’s madness in Hamletand consists of ten short films suggesting possible variations in what you might see. Ten screens of varying sizes simultaneously play films of Ophelia interpreted dramatically through the lens of Konstantin Stanislavski, Antonin Artaud, Bertolt Brecht, Jerzy Grotowski and Peter Brook.

Created by director Katie Mitchell, video designer Leo Warner, set designer Vicki Mortimer, lighting designer Paule Constable and sound designer Gareth Fry, starring Michelle Terry as Ophelia.

‘A visceral, immersive experience.’ Guardian’ (National Theatre website, accessed 06/09/2014) 

Below are the videos:

 

When working on Peter Brook we watched Brook developing work with his company through his workshops, read sections of his books and then used several other resources, including books, journals and articles we accumulated.

We compared an contrasted sections of productions he had directed. Below are many links to interviews with Peter Brook, productions he has directed and him working with his company. Included here are a few of the sections we watched as a class, they include ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’, directed in 1970 and set in a white box, ‘King Lear’ directed for film in and ‘The Marat/Sade’.

Bibliography of resources:

  • ‘Twentieth Century Theatre Practitioners’
  • Drama at AS/A Level
  • ‘The Empty Space’ Peter Brook (1968)
  • ‘The Shifting Point’ Peter Brook (1987)
  • ‘Directors in Perspective’ Albert Hunt & Geoffrey Reeves (1995)
  • ‘Between Two Silences: Talking with Peter Brook’ Dale Moffitt (1999)

 

 

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