What is a theatre practitioner?
A theatre practitioner is a person or theatre company that creates practical work or theories to do with performance and theatre. The list of theatre practitioners is constantly changing and evolving, as people are always creating new work and coming up with new thoughts and methodologies for theatre and performance. Examples of theatre practitioners include (but are by no means limited to):
- steven Berkoff
- Graeae Theatre company
- Kneehigh
- Katie Mitchell
Why study practitioners?
Looking at how theatre has changed, developed and progressed over time can be very useful for helping to shape ideas of what to devise (the subject matter) and how to do it (the form and style).
When devising a piece of original theatre in response to a stimulus, using the techniques of an influential theatre practitioner, or the characteristics of a genre or performing style, can be a helpful way to problem-solve. It can also help to make the design and performance coherent. Any practitioner chosen should be researched in detail and explored in terms of performance or design, or both.
Steven Berkoff
Date: 1937-present
Broad approach:Expressionism and physical theatre
Example productions:Metamorphosis, East, Messiah
Key facts:
- Berkoff is an English actor, director and playwright
- he focuses on the physical abilities of the performers as a substitute for sets and props, often known as total theatre
- his work is influenced by Ancient Greek theatre, Japanese Noh and Kabuki, Shakespeare, East End music halls and his Jewish heritage
- he also uses the techniques of practitioners such as Artaud and Brecht in his work
Example techniques:
- stylised movement, including slow motion and robotic, from an ensemble of performers
- exaggerated facial expressions and vocal work
- often includes direct asides and tableaux
- minimalistic use of costume and set
- exaggerated and stylised mime, sometimes using masks
Graeae Theatre Company
Date: 1980-present
Broad approach: Theatre company for D/deaf and disabled actors
Example productions:One Under, Oliver Twist, House of Bernarda Alba
Key facts:
- Graeae are a theatre company based in London, UK
- they aim to challenge preconceptions about disability
- they adapt classic plays and champion new writing by disabled playwrights
Example techniques:
- the integration of sign language, captioning and audio description, making it central to the performance, referred to as ‘the aesthetics of access’
- experimenting with different formats
- a focus on design, communicating the themes of the play as well as opportunities for projections and captioning
- ensemble-driven performances
- promoting the inclusion of disabled people in theatre-making and performance
Kneehigh
Date: 1980-present
Broad approach: Eclectic, creative adaptations
Example productions:The Red Shoes, Dead Dog in a Suitcase, Brief Encounter
Key facts:
- Kneehigh are an international touring theatre company based in Cornwall, UK
- Emma Rice worked with Kneehigh as an actor and as joint artistic director
- they have performed at venues such as the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Shakespeare’s Globe
Example techniques:
- work with an ever-changing ensemble
- a focus on storytelling for a wide audience, mostly through creative adaptations of novels, films, myths and folktales
- often featuring live music, song, puppetry, dance and film, with a high energy and a playful style
- strong emphasis on the visual design elements
Katie Mitchell
Date: 1964-present
Broad approach:Naturalism with multimedia, termed live cinema.
Example productions:Orlando, 4.48 Psychosis, Miss Julie
Key facts:
- Katie Mitchell is an English director
- she often explores feminist themes
- she has worked with the Royal Court, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre
- her productions include a vast array of opera as well as theatre performances
- she is best known for her adaptations of classic plays from playwrights such as Chekhov, Strindberg and Euripides
Example techniques:
- influenced by Stanislavski’s methods for creating a character
- uses multimedia to support the set design in communicating the world and ideas of the play, and to act as a live participant in the performance, with almost equal status to an actor
- multimedia is often used live on stage to pick out a performer’s more subtle details, eg facial expressions
- the importance of narrative, using technology to show what is going on in the character’s head, not just simply the beginning, middle and end of a story
