The play is called The Drawer Boy. It's a charming story about two men who survived a war together. They now live on a small farm and have a simplified life that allows them to bury the painful memories of the horrors they witnessed together. That is, until they are confronted by a young theater director who begins investigating their lives for a "play". Truth will out in the end, but is it the best thing for these survivors? The story takes on other levels in its examination of the theater, the place of theater in the lives of non-urban people, the sacredness of storytelling, and the power of personal narrative.
Dean was talking a little about the process he'd like to engage in with the actors. He wants to create an ensemble, actors who move in synch, breath together, trust each other, have an awareness of their bodies in space. This is very different from the traditional method of staging a play. Of course there is always a process. But sometimes the little bit of effort it takes to get people out of themselves has a big dividend in the end.
One of the very earliest, and perhaps still most authoritative books on this kind of work is Improvisation for the Theater by Viola Spolin. Dean checked at the Strand, New York City's largest used-book store, but came up empty. I know I have a copy somewhere, but it's buried in my storage under a decade of other accumulated life-baggage. As we talked, I began to recall some of the exercises that I used in my own rehearsals: some were taught to me by Joseph Chaikin, some come from Cecily Berry's outstanding book Text In Action, and a few come from my colleague Eva Burgess who uses this work so successfully in her productions. I told Dean I'd write some down and share them with him. So, Dean, here they are. Hope they help.
- Sound/Movement Exercise - This was invented by Joe Chaikin, and has become a staple of actor training. In its simplest form, the company forms a circle. (Most of these exercises are worked in a circle.) One actor comes to the center and begins a simple, repetitive movement accompanied by a repetitive sound. The actors stays with the sound/movement either allowing it to become more defined and more committed, or allowing it to change. What's important is that the actor move below the level of conscious thinking and begin to allow his body and voice to connect in a visceral way. There are many variations on this exercise. One of the best is after the actor has established her sound/movement they then face another actor in the circle and "teach" that actor their sound/movement. That actor enters the circle with the other actor's sound/movement and then transforms it into an entirely new one that he then passes to another in the circle. Play around with this one. It's a great warm-up and will really give people permission to break their inhibitions.
- Walking the Space - This is as simple as it sounds, but it's really very important. You can start in a circle and then break it, or just ask the actors to begin walking about randomly. Then you can play: Fast, slow, running, slow-motion, freeze. It's great to do different walks to: on the heels, on the toes, outside edge of the foot, inside edge of the foot; and mix and match: heel of the right foot, toes on the left. Outside of the right foot, inside of the left. You get the idea. Have fun!
- Create images (from Eva Burgess) - Give the actors 15 minutes and ask them to come up with 5 images of the play. These images should not be literal, but should be freeze-frames of their bodies in space, in relation to each other. This is performed non-verbally. They should learn each image, and then perform them for the director. They will inevitably tell the story of the play in a completely unexpected way.
- Passing the Ball - This one also comes from Eva Burgess. Bring in 3 or 4 juggling balls, hacky-sacks or any soft bean ball. Then start, one ball at a time, to pass the ball across the circle to each other. Establish a pattern. Throw underhand, aim for the chest, and make eye contact with your partner. Then, after the pattern is established, add another ball, then another. This is great for concentration. Do this at every rehearsal!
- Lone Wolf - I used to love this one. When I was in college we would do it before every show. The challenge is to form a close circle, a huddle. Then, simply count from 1 to 10. Or if you get really good, try doing the whole alphabet. But here's the trick: There's no planned order for the speaking, and if two people overlap, speak at the same time, you must start the whole thing again from the top. It's frustrating, but wait until you succeed!
- Status - This is good in a large group. Bring in a deck of cards and randomly ask each actor to choose one without looking. Now they must "embody" their cards, an ace having the highest "status", a two having the lowest. They should try to be as clear as possible about where they fall in the pecking order, and see if the rest of the group can figure out what card they are.
- Japanese - This is my favorite. It's quiet, meditative, simple. But not easy. The actors form a circle. One person starts. They make eye contact with another person across the circle. Hands folded in front of them, they then bow to the person whose eyes they've met. The person receiving the bow, bows back in acknowledgment and then immediately looks for another person to "send" a bow to. As soon as your bow has been received you start walking to assume the position of the person who has received your bow. You must pay attention. It's about flow and timing. Try it out. Maybe you'll develop your own version.
W.
