The Work on Masks within the Meyerhold-Grotowski tradition

I would like to introduce the students of the Universidade Federal da Bahia to the actor's work on the self, on dramaturgy, on masks and archetypes, as it appears in the Stanislavsky-Meyerhold-Grotowski lineage that I aim to represent (Cf. my texts: In Memoria di Zygmunt Molik in Culture Teatrali, DAMS Bologna, 2010; and Italian Political Theatre as Theatre Policy: The Monologues of Dario Fo, Greenville: The International Humor Association-East Carolina University Press, 2008). For this purpose, I propose to lead a Workshop with a group of between 12 and 18 students around Voice, Body and Masks, to give 2 lectures and set up a final devised performance. I - Experimental theatre workshop: Voice and Body – The Mask’s Voice The Workshop will focus on Voice, Body and Masks, through exploration of performative archetypes and montage impromptu within a performative devising context. It will make use of texts and songs selected and brought to class by the participants (in Portuguese or any other languages). 1 - The method Our work will be rooted in the lineage of Stanislavsky-Meyerhold-Grotowski, making use of Zygmunt Molik’s Body Alphabet, contemporary Commedia dell’Arte, intercultural training and exploration of theatrical and beyond-theatre archetypes. The participants will also undertake a practical research on their ancestral memories, able to identify personal archetypes, and produce individual dynamic portrays based on these. This part of the work is mainly inspired by Grotowski’s ‘mysteries’: > Voice-body-mind preparation: The training will take place every day, aimed at enhancing the actor's physical, emotional and intellectual abilities. This will be based on voice-body-mind awareness work, and exercises to open the creative channels of the actor through movement, voice and live montage. I set up training for the actor that includes the work on the self in relation with the others, essentially referring to Grotowski’s Teatr Laboratorium approach, Molik’s Voice and Body work and the Body Alphabet, the practice of ritual arts, Commedia dell’Arte, European theatrical roles, Gurdjieff’s Sacred Dances, Chinese and Japanese martial arts and actor training, and contribution from participants’ performative cultures. I have developed these modalities of dynamic training open to cultural exchange during the many workshops I have led over 25+ years of work with participants and students belonging to different communities and institutions around the world. > Improvisation with mask and discovery of archetypes: Characters will be approached using a research-led pedagogy, practical understanding of theatrical improvisation (individual and in groups) and analysis of a range of archetypes. This research is inspired by, and will initially follow, Meyerhold’s seventeen set roles of the actors as listed in the 1922 text Employ Aktyora. It will also use Commedia dell’Arte masks and set types, and other traditional European XIX century roles. It will also take inspiration from Zeami’s Fūshi kaden and the Natya Shastra, and it is meant to stimulate new propositions from the participants, based on their individual cultural and performative background. Masks will be used extensively. I will first introduce the students to the neutral mask, to allow the establishment of the actor’s imaginative body, its relationship to space, rhythm, and the others, and to raise awareness of the fundamental laws of creation of formalised character (type). Through neutral mask, the student learns to use the body in an expressive and creative way, and to connect it to universal attitudes and specific modes of communication with the partners and the audience. Then, we will make use of the expressive masks, with specific emphasis to the tradition of Commedia dell'Arte (in leather) and masks from other origins (both theatrical and ritualistic). We will introduce use of voice with masks and will connect them with characters and situations to be developed through a devising process. > Preparation of final performance: The research-led creative, intercultural, open process toward a final devised group performance, will focus on understanding and reviving the function of the emploi (role, ‘line of business’ or ‘stock character’) in acting, as this was used from the birth of theatre, everywhere in the world, until its general decline in the twentieth century. Moreover, it will analyse the ritualistic origin of the emploi. Each student will have to work on several archetypes/characters, and after a tailored individual training session, will be guided to discover her own personal archetype. Each student will be given specific tasks, will bring her research to the class and will choose a text and a song to share with the others, to be used in the devised process. The collective dimension of the work will be very important. The participants will constantly work both individually and as a group. This will produce a collective creative dynamic. The discoveries of individual archetypes will be accompanied by individual and collective work on make-up, costumes, props and set-up of space. All these elements will be used to allow the character's communication of essential symbols connected to their archetypes and to establish a new theatrical "creature". The practical work will facilitate the presence of live music and songs proposed and played by the participants themselves to lift and support the performances. > Presentation at the end of the Workshop: a public presentation of the work will be proposed to an identified audience at the end of the cycle of workshops and classes in order to share and disseminate this creative research-led journey. 2 - The objectives Practical and theoretical understanding of key aspects of Stanislavsky-Meyerhold-Grotowski theatrical legacy. Approach to the world of Molik’s Voice and Body work and the Body Alphabet. Knowledge of the power and intrinsic potentiality of masks. Discovery of personal archetypes and exploration and creation of characters based on these. Opening the creative energy of the actor through use of voice, body and masks. Experimenting methods for devising an intercultural performance. Understanding methods of application to intercultural performance of use of masks, make-up, music, performative skills, costume-making and space set up. 3 - Planning The 60H Workshop could take place as follows: 4 weekly sessions of 5 hours per day (approx. 20 hours per week), over 3-4 weeks: between the 1st and the 31st of January 2023 (timetable tbc) II - Proposed conferences: 1 - The Stanislavski-Meyerhold-Grotowski lineage, The conference aims to shed light on this theatrical lineage of the exploration of the influences of Stanislavski and Meyerhold in Grotowski’s work and lineage, focussing in particular on actor’s dramaturgy, direction, montage, and work on archetypes. 2 – The Power of Masks. Masks have mysterious origins and are usually connected to performance. A correct application of acting techniques, combined with the use of masks, allows the display of an unexpected amount of energy and ability to control, which reminds aspects of ritualistic performances involving high states of trance. This lecture will give an overview of the scale of trance in performance and their possible applications. III - Expected results of the mission Through this mission, I hope to be able to pass on to the students of the Universidade Federal de Bahia my knowledge of this lineage and to support the development of their abilities to approach the actor's work and create devised live performance. In return, I hope to be able to enrich my pedagogy, depending on the students’ receptivity and proposals, and their practical and theoretical contributions. I also hope to be able to share with the colleagues the various approaches to acting and theatrical training methods. Through these contacts and exchanges, I hope to develop an inter-university partnerships and work towards the set-up of a scheme aimed at the international mobility of our students and staff. Finally, I am interested in deepening my knowledge and understanding of the cultural and artistic riches of the region, in its festive and ritual dimensions.