Presentation Notes

- Compare and contrast Frantic assembly, Artaud and Boal

- This is to show:

• I understand acting styles
• Techniques for performance 
• The impact on a modern actor (me)

- Will cover working methods, vocal and physical attributes and the demands they put on an actor. 

- Founded 1994, 3 students, Swansea Uni, not drama related courses

-Goal: create non-realistic pieces through movement and music, but never stray away from the story

- Use stories that have already been made (othello), or make their own (this will all be gone)

- It was to show one of their shows to those they were working with in the far east, which all fits into some suitcases!

- Use the frantic method, goal to make simple discoveries, take a moment to its simplest truth

- This is made of building blocks, such as chair duets

- Goal is to make a fun, safe space so that they can explore their ideas, shows the importance of trusting cast members

- Physical theatre, so very physically demanding

- A focus on music and the effects it has, rather than speaking. 

- Physically demanding

- Have to be comfortable being close to cast (physically and emotionally)

- Confusing when starting of you dont understand building blocks

- Modern theatre company, so their work fits with our lives

- Personally, hated it at first, now see how cool and important it is

- 16th march 1931- 2nd may 2009

- Brazillian cultural activist, spoke out against Brazil's military raysheme

- His views and works were contriversial, so was kidnapped, arrested, tortured and then exiled to argentina

- This lead him to create theatre of the opressed, wanted to show we cannot let opression happen. 

- This had 3 main areas: image theatre, invisible theatre and forum theatre

- He coined the term spect actor- when a spectator sees something and becomes an actor

- His main 3 are...

- Image theatre: an image of reality, an image of change, an image of the ideal situation

- Forum theatre: show a peice of 1 opressed and opressors. Audiance then swap places with opressed to make the better situation 

- Invisible theatre: a person, persicuter and a protector, see how spec-actors respond, any responce is the right responce

- Facilitators called Jokers- they can't make you do anything, like in a deck of cards

- The aim of it all is to make things better, make society a better place, the freedom to figure out how to do that

- Book: Games for actors and non actors. still used alot, even when not studying him. A fun and easy way to sink into theatre

- Many of these games involve odd positions, physically and mentally

- The goal is to spread a message, that is the focus rather than vocals or phyical  

- Very good for modern actors

- Political which is good today

- Not intensly physical like frantic assebly can be, more open to those with physical disabilities

- Easy for beginers

- Born in 1896, had meningitis as a child, possibly caused his nervous disposition

- Was given opium to help, but he became addicted

- Effected heavily by his time in WW1

- Famous for creating the theatre of cruelty, pushing actors and audiance to emotional extremes, did it after meeting some Balinese Dancers, was impressed by how physical it was

- In comparison, his peices were a failure, and he never performed any in his life, he was sucsessful as a TV actor though

- Was associated with surrealists, before being expelled by Andre Breton in 1927 for not being political enough

- Theatre of cruelty, goal is to feel emotional extremes

- Orignosed anarchy, place audiance at the center, both metaphorically and physically

- Manephesto called 'Maniphesto of the theatre of cruelty'

- Goal: it’s to shock the spectator into seeing the baseness and depravity of his world (could be to do with the drugs)

- 

- His work is very confusing

- A stage direction for spurt of blood, how is this meant to be done in a performance? link to drug use

- Focus on punishing actors than on making a good piece

- Boal and FA have an end result that makes a piece that more can enjoy, this is just confusing 

Boal is clearly the most successful, as he has the best parts of the other practitioners.​

Artaud looks at the issues in society, but this is done in a very dark way​

Frantic Assembly creates good pieces but lacks the politics and bad for begginers

Boal is great!1 Politics, help society, begginers, not straining phycally