Introduction
'...although he died in 1999 his school L'Ecole Internationale de Theatre Jacques Lecoq in France is still a vibrant actor training centre in the 21st century. His approach to acting was primarily to shift conventional word based theatre to a body centred theatre and this philosophy is promoted by his school today.' (S.Lovesy, 2009).
Warm-ups
When studying this unit it is really important to participate in warm-ups. If exploring this unit in class your teacher would run numerous physical warm ups that explore a body centred approach to acting. For example, a warm-up that could be used for two or three minutes at the start of each class is to ask you to imagine you are swimming, (breaststroke, crawl, butterfly), climbing a mountain, or walking along a road, all with the purpose of trying to reach a destination. You can make sounds and utter a phrase or two but in essence these are body based warm-ups. These types of exercises:
- stimulate and re-wire the circuitry of the body as the actor must train his or her mind and body to respond, react and rediscover the world around them
- underscore his belief that playing and spontaneity releases the actor's imagination, creativity and instincts
- introduce and develop his use of The Journey as a metaphor for learning
- develop a strong visual dimension in acting and creating a character.
The concept of The Journey
What does the concept of The Journey mean to Jacques Lecoq's approach to acting?
The journey means:
- traveling
- displacement
- exodus
- returning
- departing
- Journey implies one of perpetual openness and delight in discovery
- Journey can also imply an endless nightmare
- Journey signifies perpetual movement
- People, animals, inanimate objects can all journey.
Activity
Brainstorming activity
Brainstorm and create a small video presentation of what the concept of The Journey means to you and share in your Microsoft teams or Google classroom. Make sure you create a use three physical images in your video. You can do this alone, or with a classmate online.
Research and answer the following in a detailed response in your logbook.
- Why were these types of warm-ups important to Jacques Lecoq?
- How does do warm-ups create links between your body and creating characters?
- What was the purpose be of asking you to try and reach a destination in a warm-up?