Steven Berkoff

Steven Berkoff

1. Was born on 3rd August 1937 in Stepney, London

   • His family background was Jewish Russian and his Grandparents fled Russia for Britain in the 1890s.
   • His parents were Abraham
   • In the Second World War, he was evacuated from the bombing of London to the relative safety of Luton in 1942.
   • Berkoff had an unhappy childhood
   • Berkoff was a struggling actor, with roles in provincial theatres and bit parts in British films

2. He trained originally as a mime artist, and these skills are still evident in some of his performances

3. He believes that naturalistic theatre requires no skill

4. Much of Berkoff's work shows elements of an expressionist influence

5. Berkoff dislikes naturalistic theatre

6. Berkoff's use of physical theatre tends to be regarded as one of the most extreme forms

   • he is not generally regarded as a mainstream performer or director
   • Those who admire him, admire his willingness to break the boundaries and expectations of an audience

7. Berkoff places strong emphasis upon the physical abilities of an actor

   • His performances can be built around movement, dance, mime, gestures etc

8. Berkoff has written several plays, most of which tend to shock audiences with their strong language and controversial content

9. He often chooses absurd or surreal texts and performances.

10. Berkoff is known for his adaptions of classic texts such as metamorphosis