Clowning is a way of creating and performing inspired by pure play. For internationally renowned teacher, director, and actor Joe Dieffenbacher, a clown is not a character, but an energy – a way of relating to the physical world. Here, in an extract from his book Drama Games for Clowning and Physical Comedy, he explains … Continue reading ‘Interacting with the world through play’ – how clowning can benefit any performer
Physical Theatre
Putting autism on the stage: Jody O’Neill on her innovative and myth-busting new play
Inspired by her own experiences with autism, actor and writer JODY O'NEILL set out to write a play that would celebrate autistic identity whilst engaging autistic and non-autistic audiences alike. The resulting play, What I (Don’t) Know About Autism, has just finished a sell-out run at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on the Peacock stage. Here, … Continue reading Putting autism on the stage: Jody O’Neill on her innovative and myth-busting new play
‘A well-kept secret’: the Feldenkrais Method and its powerful potential for actors, by Victoria Worsley
The Feldenkrais Method, named after the distinguished scientist and engineer Dr Moshe Feldenkrais, has been used by performers since being adopted by Peter Brook in the 1970s – but it is only now beginning to gain the recognition it deserves. Tapping into the deep relationship between bodily movement and our ways of thinking, feeling and … Continue reading ‘A well-kept secret’: the Feldenkrais Method and its powerful potential for actors, by Victoria Worsley
‘We see only what we want to see’: Simon McBurney on Complicite’s The Encounter
When actor and theatre-maker Simon McBurney first read Amazon Beaming – Petru Popescu's book about a National Geographic photographer, Loren McIntyre, who went into the rainforest to take photos of the rarely seen Mayoruna tribe, only to lose his way back – he knew he would one day attempt to stage it. But how? Twenty … Continue reading ‘We see only what we want to see’: Simon McBurney on Complicite’s The Encounter
Dymphna Callery: we need a more playful approach to staging plays
Dymphna Callery's Through the Body: A practical guide to physical theatre is beloved of a generation of drama students. But have we ghetto-ised 'physical theatre' in an unhelpful way? In her new book published today, The Active Text, she looks at how physical theatre techniques can be used to unlock scripted plays, and inject new … Continue reading Dymphna Callery: we need a more playful approach to staging plays
The Prompt Book 