Physical Theatre Technique III: From Biomechanics to Performance Theatre

Course Code
4ΕΧ635
ECTS Credits
5
Semester
Winter Semester
Course Category

Specialisation Elective

Specialisation Elective (course)

Specialization
Theater Directing and Scenic Arts
Course Description

Drawing on the principles of Vsevolod Meyerhold’s Biomechanics, Étienne Decroux’s corporeal mime, and Tadeusz Kantor’s performance practice—where the body is in continuous dialogue with formal elements and psychodynamic plasticity transforms it into a performative landscape—the course aims at developing students’ self-awareness of their physical expressive means. This is a laboratory-based course grounded in the performer’s creative autonomy as a dramaturg of their own performance practice. The course focuses on movement dynamics, the articulation of bodily centers, the musicality of movement, and the study of études developed by Decroux and Meyerhold. Teaching is structured around four axes: (1) physical training, (2) embodied acting/performance practice, (3) critical analysis of performance forms, and (4) composition and dramaturgy, with emphasis on translating these principles into the qualitative dimension of personal performance work.

After the successful completion of the course, students will:

  • be able to perform a structured physical warm-up and focus on their bodily preparation; 
  • use their physical skills in the development of a character in rehearsal and performance through adaptation, repetition, and the re-creation of movement; 
  • strengthen their stage presence and develop awareness of space, rhythm, and bodily dynamics; 
  • develop increasing confidence in the practical skills that support physical theatre practice; 
  • be able to investigate the content of an idea or theme through embodied practice; 
  • collaborate effectively and apply a critical approach to embodied knowledge. 
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