Physical Theatre, Blog One

Discuss the key features of the genre of ‘physical theatre’ as explored in the module content of Process and Performance.

“At its best, all theatre is physical” (Callery; 2001, p.4)
Physical theatre is unpredictable and explores the visual vocabulary with all different types of movement. Physical theatre can make the audience members experience the spectacle in different ways.

Throughout the course of the process and performance module, we have been shown how you can portray different meanings and narrative through using mainly the body. When in a community, individual performers may have a different attitude and concept of the piece and so interpret different meanings into it, this makes all physical theatre very rich and diverse.

As a group studying this module, we have learnt that everything we produce doesn’t need to be in the final piece, as sometimes it just doesn’t fit, and so is edited out. Personally for me I would say I like to think of it as a process of trial and error, some ideas work well, whilst others jar or are too vague. I also believe that the physicality lends itself to developing a better theatre experience for the audience by the exploration and understanding gained from movement as a universal language. There is more for an audience to take from a performance as they are not so hampered by trying to unravel strange dated speech patterns and decipher words from an obsolete vocabulary. This makes the piece more available to an international audience although care must be taken not to offend cultures such as showing bare feet in parts of the Orient.

“The design created by movement has both a narrative and aesthetic value” (Murray & Keefe; 2007, p185)
Dance can be constrained by having to follow the music played; fast movements during a slow passage could be seen as very incongruous. In physical theatre the moves come first and so the music can be scored to complement this. Physical theatre is not a slave to the sound but rather the master.

2)What does Ana Sanchez-Colberg imply by the ‘hybrid character’ of physical theatre? Is physical theatre a hybrid performance genre? Discuss with reasons for your answer.

“The term itself – ‘physical theatre’ – denotes a hybrid character and is testimony to its double legacy in both avant-garde theatre and dance. It is precisely this double current of influences which needs to be taken into consideration in any attempt to delineate specific parameters of the new genre.” (Sanchez-Colberg in: Keefe & Murray; 2007, p.21)

This quote implies that Sanchez-Colberg’s use of the phrase ‘hybrid character’ refers to the genres that have been taken as ingredients into the term now coined as ‘physical theatre’. Some of the techniques of physical theatre have their roots in dance, mime and avant garde-theatre, and the resultant mixture is termed as a hybrid genre.
Physical theatre is experimental, fun and energetic, as is dance but without the need to be constrained by the music, thus allowing the physicality to be freed from the need to over think everything as can happen in dance especially in group dependent choreography.

“Particularly that production considered to be ‘body focused’” (Keefe & Murray; 2007, p.20).
“In Laban’s work the principal guiding premise is that of the ‘body in space’. Before there is movement there is a body in space that has presentation” (Keefe & Murray; 2007, p.24).
These quotes show that a lot of information is conveyed by the performer(s) before they even begin to move, what they are wearing, where they start from, their demeanour and the shape they hold to begin all add to the audience’s initial reaction by setting the scene.

3) Identify a contemporary British performance company whose practice falls into the remit of ‘physical theatre’ as you have defined in the above two answers. Discuss briefly the key features of their practice that makes them a physical theatre company.

DV8 Physical Theatre is a contemporary physical theatre company and was formed in 1986 and led since its’ inception by Lloyd Newson. On their website in the artistic policy section it states: “DV8 Physical Theatre's work is about taking risks, aesthetically and physically, about breaking down the barriers between dance and theatre and, above all, communicating ideas and feelings clearly and unpretentiously. It is determined to be radical yet accessible, and to take its work to as wide an audience as possible”. DV8 Physical Theatre (2010) Artistic policy [online] DV8 Physical Theatre [cited 28th February 2010]

This shows that as a company they are breaking down the separate genres mentioned by Sanchez-Colberg, and are showing that while there are differences between dance and physical theatre they are trying to create a successful collaboration of the styles. The work DV8 creates is a mixture of both dance and physical theatre together, thus portraying the resultant hybrid genre.
DV8’s work also goes beyond the point of looking ‘pretty’ and being ‘nice’ to watch, to allowing the audience to sometimes feel that the performance is a little uncomfortable to watch. With DV8 you can see that there is meaning in every piece performed, and this will affect each audience member differently and each person might have a different opinion of what is being shown to them.
I really like DV8 as a physical theatre company because I feel that there is an edginess which can stir up emotion and comment from the audience and will certainly cause a debate.



Bibliography:

Callery, D. (2001) Through the Body London: Routledge
Keefe, J & Murray, S (2007) Physical theatres: An introduction
Keefe, J & Murray, S (2007) Physical theatres: A critical reader

Websites:

www.dv8.co.uk