Ákos Török: Stage games, language games
It can happen anyway, but Leonce and Lena by the Maladype Theatre may be the first national performance – that comes from prose theatre - , which makes its basic tone that thing, which will be defined as physical theatre.
I have thought that we can start with that Zoltán Balázs in the Studio of the Bárka Theatre started with the phrase: „I have thought...”. So let’s talk a little bit what we mean by physical theatre... Meanwhile the term would appear commonly from now on. Then I would write about the unity, mosaic-like nature of the performance, and about the actors’ performances, finally – as a final joke – how I got into it in the final scene as Leonce. Well... I suggest that start it!
1. Prologue: Physical theatre (concept analysis – outline)
To make clear a concept is important to be able to talk about it: it does not mean certainly exact definition, just the practical evidence of something, that we mean by the same concepts the same meanings mostly. The concept of physical theatre, I think – in our country anyway – has not reached it yet. It is mostly the virtual central point of the theatrical language game (it is in connection with the Wittgenstein-like meaning) from the point of view of the discussion about it. From the point of view of creating, it is an idea, an experiment, it is a mostly different kind of approach to body, to movement, to theatre. From the point of view of its sounding and properties - which is in intensive connection with the body and mostly with the text – physical theatre places itself around the borderline between modern dance and theatrical art. On the other hand, both dancing and theatrical art use body first of all: as the interface (as a sign, medium, form) of the non-body (inside, soul, feelings, ideas and so on), which becomes noticeable, while physical theatre named new kind of point of view. It tries to show this same body in its naked physicality and holistic completeness at the same time, as the real subject of the drama. It makes the body a marker, that way it lets the bodywork, (fall down, get tired, get into physical danger) which is the result of lack of stylization. On the one hand, it is a little bit strange, sometimes it is a relative experience of truth in the viewers, on the other hand, the radical here and now nature of the happenings on stage lose their connection with any kind of meaning beyond the pure actions. From this point of view physical theatre is on the borderline of mostly art (dance- and theatre – art) and non-art and – sometimes it is productive and artistic, sometimes it is done in a dilettante and sensationalist way – it asks the question of: “What does art mean?”
However it is not for sure this year, but next year a course of physical theatre director and choreographer will start on The University of Theatre and Film Art, as a result of it, the concept itself will emerge more marked, but at least from theoretical point of view this language game – started from Lloyd Newson (DV8) and it is not infertile at all - will be well defined. It can happen anyway, but Leonce and Lena by the Maladype Theatre may be the first national performance – that comes from prose theatre - , which makes its basic tone that thing, which will be defined as physical theatre. Which from the point of view of the performance is not a compliment just a fact.
2. The play and / or the performance and / or...?
Zoltán Balázs, the director on introductions, leaflets has stated that his idea was to make his actors apply for the roles, which can be won mostly according to their physical conditions, at the beginning of each performance in front of the viewers. As the requirement of it everybody knows all roles, and different couples by actors, who are chosen by the director, have to make for each scenes whole and ready plans, that way they have got only two instructions: the bamboo sticks as properties and physicality as the basic tone. As the result of it there are four versions of each scenes, and a possibility, that anybody can fight for the role of Leonce and Lena. However, it did not happen neither on 21st May - nor any other time before it. We have to accept another kind of game for a while: Zoltán Balázs chose or left out some scenes there reacted to the momentary atmosphere of the auditorium and performers’ mood, besides it, the viewers have the possibility to choose and watch some scenes with different cast with different creative ideas. As the scenes, according to their formation, works more properly – from parodic loudness until the shocking dramatic effect – as atomic scenes, they do not do it by some kind of stricter dramatic arc. They have play hardly the half of Büchner’s scenes (two of them, Leonce’s monologue all of them do – simultaneously), for the first time, we got some kind of workshop than a play... Not even Leonce and Lena by Büchner.
From the other point of view this kind of divergent theatrical formula can be the counterpoint of a strict and pure clean unity: in the intersection area of the auditorium, which is placed on the two sides, the white tatami is similar to the unity of the stage with bamboo sticks placed onto the two ends of it; as well as the unity of the buggy buttoned black cotton dresses, which can be pulled up into the whole body; the unity of bamboo sticks with different length as the only permitted properties; the unity of musical instruments on the stage without any metal and plastic; and above all the unity of special attitude towards human bodies and objects. As the human body sometimes appears as a barrier, then sometimes as an object in danger, sometimes as a challenge, but always as a real human body too (a concrete person’s concrete body). From the strictest point of view, we have seen a play despite the fact that from a strict point of view we have not.
Büchner’s drama is organised repeatedly (not less ironically) by the philosophical and kitchen-like philosophical question: “Who am I?”, at the peak point of the play – at the arrival of Leonce, Lena and their servants to Popo – the problem of indefinability pf identities culminate in an absurd language game. Zoltán Balázs, the director’s basic idea – with the simultaneous cast, with the applying form performance to performance, next to the mechanical structure of the beginning singing-moving scene, with its meaningful moving picture and with its intransparent mixture and finally two viewers moving onto to the stage in the final scene as Leonce and Lena – puts into the centre the question of theatre existence, next to the meta-theatrical reference to the important things of it, as well as the question of self-identity of identity, its changeability, its confusability. From this point of view even if we cannot see the whole text, we can see the most adequate way Leonce and Lena by Büchner.
3. The actors’ performance
The ideas, which the actors have brought up “in connection with bamboos and Büchner”, make differences according to the creative diversity of the basic mood of each scenes and the quality of speech too. Put apart some less lucky way illustrative, some pathetic parts, we can usually see creative, exciting – from the experience of surprise until emotive catharsis – solutions. In one scene Kamilla Fátyol, as Rosetta is in her weird cage of chaotic mixed bamboos, other time she is raised up as Lena with a cross stick, hold under her neck – both scenes refer to the icon of crucifixion. The first is a descriptive and inspired scene, the other one is a little bit pathetically obvious. Sometimes the excitement of the game with the borders of physical and conditional possibilities is weaken by the overplay for it and by the obvious falseness (Maybe the most characteristically during Leonce’s monologues by Ádám Tompa, where the actor with over drown face-game tries to emphasise the overload of his stomach muscle).
For the eyes and ears that get socialized to physical theatre by dance-art performance, the actors’ performance, the complete presence on the stage with it verbality, and its obvious safety offers that kind of calmness, which they can get more often from the modern dance, which tries to “perform” – mostly because of less authentic artistic presence and fake intonation – but with less possibility. The actors of Maladype – Theatre of Encounter do not dare to go farther than it is let by their possibilities, their movements are neither dance nor motion art: these are signs, gestures, drawings, they properly know the borders of the pureness of their civil body, conditional readiness, sporty prosaic nature. Their Leonca and Lena as physical theatre can be perfect and not a complete one. (The lack of training of motion art can be seen in the fact as they articulate as a temptation of the borders of physical capacity sometimes much more often and sematic way.)
There is something undefined shocking in the way as they are standing at the edge of the stage and waiting for calling, more tiredly, even looking at their partner, or backwards to them, but always with motionless faces. And when Zoltán Balázs or the viewers decide that way, they walk onto the stage... They give themselves, they play, and then with the same look they stand back. Like some kind of melancholic gymnastics, sad clowns. However, they are obviously neither these nor those... Maybe they are not sad anyway.
4. Epilogue
Physical theatre is both body and meaning according to the most concrete meaning.
In the ending scene of the performance on 21th May, because of unpredictability and/or by chance they invite onto the stage a theatrical production manager professional writer and a critic: Mari Szilágyi and me. The constellation was perfect because of our shape, criteria of physical-quality nature, and it is not without any meaning that during a theatrical performance with very nice empathy and the kindest, hardly sensible signs they instruct two totally helpless in the situation and shy professionals, who are close to theatre to get married by saying that men are wonderful automats.
The world has turned around with them, they have woken up sweaty from nightmares for days, then one of them starts writing that “I have thought...”...
Ákos Török, Színház, 2008
(translated by: Veronika Fülöp)
I have thought that we can start with that Zoltán Balázs in the Studio of the Bárka Theatre started with the phrase: „I have thought...”. So let’s talk a little bit what we mean by physical theatre... Meanwhile the term would appear commonly from now on. Then I would write about the unity, mosaic-like nature of the performance, and about the actors’ performances, finally – as a final joke – how I got into it in the final scene as Leonce. Well... I suggest that start it!
1. Prologue: Physical theatre (concept analysis – outline)
To make clear a concept is important to be able to talk about it: it does not mean certainly exact definition, just the practical evidence of something, that we mean by the same concepts the same meanings mostly. The concept of physical theatre, I think – in our country anyway – has not reached it yet. It is mostly the virtual central point of the theatrical language game (it is in connection with the Wittgenstein-like meaning) from the point of view of the discussion about it. From the point of view of creating, it is an idea, an experiment, it is a mostly different kind of approach to body, to movement, to theatre. From the point of view of its sounding and properties - which is in intensive connection with the body and mostly with the text – physical theatre places itself around the borderline between modern dance and theatrical art. On the other hand, both dancing and theatrical art use body first of all: as the interface (as a sign, medium, form) of the non-body (inside, soul, feelings, ideas and so on), which becomes noticeable, while physical theatre named new kind of point of view. It tries to show this same body in its naked physicality and holistic completeness at the same time, as the real subject of the drama. It makes the body a marker, that way it lets the bodywork, (fall down, get tired, get into physical danger) which is the result of lack of stylization. On the one hand, it is a little bit strange, sometimes it is a relative experience of truth in the viewers, on the other hand, the radical here and now nature of the happenings on stage lose their connection with any kind of meaning beyond the pure actions. From this point of view physical theatre is on the borderline of mostly art (dance- and theatre – art) and non-art and – sometimes it is productive and artistic, sometimes it is done in a dilettante and sensationalist way – it asks the question of: “What does art mean?”
However it is not for sure this year, but next year a course of physical theatre director and choreographer will start on The University of Theatre and Film Art, as a result of it, the concept itself will emerge more marked, but at least from theoretical point of view this language game – started from Lloyd Newson (DV8) and it is not infertile at all - will be well defined. It can happen anyway, but Leonce and Lena by the Maladype Theatre may be the first national performance – that comes from prose theatre - , which makes its basic tone that thing, which will be defined as physical theatre. Which from the point of view of the performance is not a compliment just a fact.
2. The play and / or the performance and / or...?
Zoltán Balázs, the director on introductions, leaflets has stated that his idea was to make his actors apply for the roles, which can be won mostly according to their physical conditions, at the beginning of each performance in front of the viewers. As the requirement of it everybody knows all roles, and different couples by actors, who are chosen by the director, have to make for each scenes whole and ready plans, that way they have got only two instructions: the bamboo sticks as properties and physicality as the basic tone. As the result of it there are four versions of each scenes, and a possibility, that anybody can fight for the role of Leonce and Lena. However, it did not happen neither on 21st May - nor any other time before it. We have to accept another kind of game for a while: Zoltán Balázs chose or left out some scenes there reacted to the momentary atmosphere of the auditorium and performers’ mood, besides it, the viewers have the possibility to choose and watch some scenes with different cast with different creative ideas. As the scenes, according to their formation, works more properly – from parodic loudness until the shocking dramatic effect – as atomic scenes, they do not do it by some kind of stricter dramatic arc. They have play hardly the half of Büchner’s scenes (two of them, Leonce’s monologue all of them do – simultaneously), for the first time, we got some kind of workshop than a play... Not even Leonce and Lena by Büchner.
From the other point of view this kind of divergent theatrical formula can be the counterpoint of a strict and pure clean unity: in the intersection area of the auditorium, which is placed on the two sides, the white tatami is similar to the unity of the stage with bamboo sticks placed onto the two ends of it; as well as the unity of the buggy buttoned black cotton dresses, which can be pulled up into the whole body; the unity of bamboo sticks with different length as the only permitted properties; the unity of musical instruments on the stage without any metal and plastic; and above all the unity of special attitude towards human bodies and objects. As the human body sometimes appears as a barrier, then sometimes as an object in danger, sometimes as a challenge, but always as a real human body too (a concrete person’s concrete body). From the strictest point of view, we have seen a play despite the fact that from a strict point of view we have not.
Büchner’s drama is organised repeatedly (not less ironically) by the philosophical and kitchen-like philosophical question: “Who am I?”, at the peak point of the play – at the arrival of Leonce, Lena and their servants to Popo – the problem of indefinability pf identities culminate in an absurd language game. Zoltán Balázs, the director’s basic idea – with the simultaneous cast, with the applying form performance to performance, next to the mechanical structure of the beginning singing-moving scene, with its meaningful moving picture and with its intransparent mixture and finally two viewers moving onto to the stage in the final scene as Leonce and Lena – puts into the centre the question of theatre existence, next to the meta-theatrical reference to the important things of it, as well as the question of self-identity of identity, its changeability, its confusability. From this point of view even if we cannot see the whole text, we can see the most adequate way Leonce and Lena by Büchner.
3. The actors’ performance
The ideas, which the actors have brought up “in connection with bamboos and Büchner”, make differences according to the creative diversity of the basic mood of each scenes and the quality of speech too. Put apart some less lucky way illustrative, some pathetic parts, we can usually see creative, exciting – from the experience of surprise until emotive catharsis – solutions. In one scene Kamilla Fátyol, as Rosetta is in her weird cage of chaotic mixed bamboos, other time she is raised up as Lena with a cross stick, hold under her neck – both scenes refer to the icon of crucifixion. The first is a descriptive and inspired scene, the other one is a little bit pathetically obvious. Sometimes the excitement of the game with the borders of physical and conditional possibilities is weaken by the overplay for it and by the obvious falseness (Maybe the most characteristically during Leonce’s monologues by Ádám Tompa, where the actor with over drown face-game tries to emphasise the overload of his stomach muscle).
For the eyes and ears that get socialized to physical theatre by dance-art performance, the actors’ performance, the complete presence on the stage with it verbality, and its obvious safety offers that kind of calmness, which they can get more often from the modern dance, which tries to “perform” – mostly because of less authentic artistic presence and fake intonation – but with less possibility. The actors of Maladype – Theatre of Encounter do not dare to go farther than it is let by their possibilities, their movements are neither dance nor motion art: these are signs, gestures, drawings, they properly know the borders of the pureness of their civil body, conditional readiness, sporty prosaic nature. Their Leonca and Lena as physical theatre can be perfect and not a complete one. (The lack of training of motion art can be seen in the fact as they articulate as a temptation of the borders of physical capacity sometimes much more often and sematic way.)
There is something undefined shocking in the way as they are standing at the edge of the stage and waiting for calling, more tiredly, even looking at their partner, or backwards to them, but always with motionless faces. And when Zoltán Balázs or the viewers decide that way, they walk onto the stage... They give themselves, they play, and then with the same look they stand back. Like some kind of melancholic gymnastics, sad clowns. However, they are obviously neither these nor those... Maybe they are not sad anyway.
4. Epilogue
Physical theatre is both body and meaning according to the most concrete meaning.
In the ending scene of the performance on 21th May, because of unpredictability and/or by chance they invite onto the stage a theatrical production manager professional writer and a critic: Mari Szilágyi and me. The constellation was perfect because of our shape, criteria of physical-quality nature, and it is not without any meaning that during a theatrical performance with very nice empathy and the kindest, hardly sensible signs they instruct two totally helpless in the situation and shy professionals, who are close to theatre to get married by saying that men are wonderful automats.
The world has turned around with them, they have woken up sweaty from nightmares for days, then one of them starts writing that “I have thought...”...
Ákos Török, Színház, 2008
(translated by: Veronika Fülöp)