Physical theatre

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Physical theatre is a general term used to describe any mode of performance that pursues storytelling through primarily physical means. There are several quite distinct traditions of performance which all describe themselves using the term "physical theatre", which has led to a lot of confusion as to what the definition of physical theatre actually is.

Nature of Physical Theatre== The term "physical theatre" has been applied to performances consisting mainly of:

Mime
Contemporary dance
Theatrical Clowning and other physical comedy
Some forms of puppetry, especially large scale
Theatrical Acrobatics

While performances based around all of the above could equally claim to be "physical theatre", it is often difficult to draw a distinct boundary between what is and what is not physical theatre, and distinctions are often made quite arbitrarily by critics and performing companies.

Physical Theatre may utilize pre-existing text, but the primary focus is on the physical work of the actors, expressed through the use of their bodies. It is a highly visual form of theatre. The action in physical theatre may have a psychological base, or point to an emotional centre, or have a clear storyline, and it can grow out of codified forms, improvisational work, or invented gestural language among other means of creation. However, the means of expression are always primarily physical rather than textual.

Some analysts believe that physical theatre was influenced by Bertolt Brecht, and how he reduces theatre to it's "epic form."

Physical Theatre can be highlighted with the work of Steven Berkoff, particularly in his production East, which incorporates all aspects of physical theatre.Physical Theatre is about being an object and acting together to be that object, making it move and be very realistic.

Origins

Modern physical theatre has grown from a variety of origins. Mime and theatrical clowning schools such as L'Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris have had a big influence on many modern expressions of physical theatre, and practitioners such as Steven Berkoff and John Wright received their initial training at such institutions and Eastern European practitioners have also had a strong influence on modern physical theatre, and both Vsevolod Meyerhold and Jerzy Grotowski are regarded by many as "fathers" of modern physical theatre. Japanese traditional forms such as Kabuki, No and Bunraku led into modern forms of Butoh and the work of Tadashi Suzuki. Contemporary Dance has also had a strong influence on what we regard as physical theatre, partly because most physical theatre requires actors to have a level of physical control and flexibility rarely found in those who do not have some sort of movement background. Modern physical theatre also has strong roots in more ancient traditions such as Commedia dell'arte and some suggest links to the ancient Greek theatre, particularly the theatre of Aristophanes.

Another tradition started with the French master Etienne Decroux (father of corporeal mime). Etienne Decroux's aim was to create a theatre based on the physicality of the actor allowing the creation of a more metaphorical theatre. This tradition has now grown and corporeal mime is taught in most major theatrical school througout the world.

Daniel Stein, a teacher out of the lineage of Etienne Decroux, has this to say about physical theatre:

"I think physical theater is much more visceral and audiences are affected much more viscerally than intellectually. The foundation of theater is a live, human experience, which is different from any other form of art that I know of. Painting, writing, music happen in a mostly interpretive way, which is to say that somebody sits down and writes something and then somebody else interprets it, often in front of a camera. Live theater, where real human beings are standing in front of real human beings, is about the fact that we have all set aside this hour; the sharing goes in both directions. The fact that it is a very physical, visceral form makes it a very different experience from almost anything else that we partake of in our lives. I don’t think we could do it the same way if we were doing literary-based theater."