Towards the Poor Theatre

Extract

I am a bit impatient when asked, “What is the origin of your experimental theatre productions?” The assumption seems to be that “experimental” work is tangential (toying with some “new” technique each time) and tributary. The result is supposed to be a contribution to modern staging—scenography using current sculptural or electronic ideas, contemporary music, actors independently projecting clownish or cabaret stereotypes. I know that scene: I used to be part of it. Our Theatre Lab productions are going in another direction. In the first place, we are trying to avoid eclecticism, trying to resist thinking of theatre as a composite of disciplines. We are seeking to define what is distinctively theatre, what separates this activity from other categories of performance and spectacle. Secondly, our productions are detailed investigations of the actor-audience relationship. That is, we consider the spiritual and scenic technique of the actor as the core of theatre art.