In the first Practical/Theoretical Research Laboratory in theatre and performing Arts, we shall focus on basic theoretical and practical, dramaturgical and performative questions arising from contemporary performance of Ancient texts. We shall study scenes from the Greek tragedies. Following the analysis of this tragedy we shall research issues such as character and action, actor and chorus, meter, rhythm and pronunciation, dramatic place and theatrical space, acting styles and mise-en-scène. Combining the theoretical analysis and the practical experimentation we shall advance in two parallel planes of performance research and explore their mutual inter-relations:
Plane 1: We shall search for means of expression through which words create whole fictional worlds, giving vent to extreme emotional intensities. We shall look for ways to form a chorus that gives expression to a collective memory and a collective sense of urgency and anxiety. These issues will be explored by group activities, extensively using movement, rhythm, music, voice and singing.
Plane 2: Analyzing selected scenes from the Greek tragedy, we shall focus on central questions of character representation: How does it emerge from the deciphering of inner drives, action patterns, character traits and the meanings of space and stage metaphors? Work processes will be developed, leading from interpreting deep contents embedded in the text into active work data.
On both planes, our work will be closely associated with the content world of the tragedy, searching for contemporary significance.