Berkoffian Theatre

Berkoffian Theatre

1. Inspirations

   • Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty
   • Brechtian Epic
   • Le Coq
   • Kabuki Theatre
   • Bunraku
   • Jean-Louis Barralut's Total Theatre

2. Techniques

   • Acting
     • stylised movement
     • mime
     • exaggerrated vocal work
     • direct address
     • asides
     • improvisation
     • slow motion
     • actor as athlete/instrument
     • freeze-frames/tableaux
     • soundscape
     • highly choreographed
   • Aesthetics
     • use of masks/kabuki makeup
     • total theatre
     • Monochrome Costume(for adaptations)
     • minimal props
     • architectural/functional set
     • painted floors
     • harsh soundtrack

3. Useful productions

   • Metamorphosis (1969)
   • Salome(1988)
   • East(1975)
   • In the Penal Colony(1968)
   • Decadence(1981)

4. Useful quotes

   • "to express drama in the most vital way imaginable; to perform at the height of ones powers with all the available means. that is, through the spoken word, gesture, mime and music. sometimes the emphasis on one, sometimes on the other." Berkoff and the London group Mission Statement, 1973
   • In the end there is only the actor, his body, his mind and voice... the actor exists without the play...he can improvise, be silent, mime, make sounds and be a witness' - Berkoff, Three Theatre Manifesto's, 1978
   • "The cast are the environment of K"
   • "all props should be priceless and precious onstage"
   • 'It's anyone's trial'