All rehearsal methods can be compared to keys with which you can, so to speak, “open” the actor, the role and the play. They, like all keys, are somewhat similar, but nevertheless differ in a small “prong” and therefore open different locks. There is no one universal key that fits for Shakespeare and for Chekhov, for comedy and for tragedy, for every actor and for every theatre. There is only one exception – that is, the lockpick or the axe. But I don’t advise anyone to use break-in methods.

Every director/actor should master more than one method of rehearsal. What works well for one writer or actor is a waste of time for another. Therefore, a director needs to have several methods in reserve for a good production, just as the actor needs to have several methods in reserve for his role creation. Each method requires time and practice to learn so that it can be used creatively in rehearsals. In this course, I would like to present in detail four methods for working with actors – four keys for accessing a play or a role.

I have developed the following methods over many years of practice and have not yet published them in their current form. In this seminar I pass them on to the next generation.

ONE

TWO

The second method is called Storytelling. Telling a story is one of our oldest cultural practices that had been somewhat forgotten. Today, people everywhere talk about narratives and have discovered their role in cognitive processes. Originally I used the method to develop roles for actors, but then I realised that it is also very useful for directors to develop scenes and even a whole performance. So I turned Storytelling into a very wide-ranging rehearsal method with multi-faceted tasks and exercises.

THREE

I call the third method the Touché Method. Derived from the French touché, it refers to the form of touch. In music, the way in which the keys or strings are touched is decisive for the strength and colour of the sound. We speak of the art of touch that brings an instrument to life. In fencing, ‘touché’ means that you have successfully touched your opponent; in painting, it is a special way of applying brushstrokes or layering colours. With the Touché Method, the director touches the material of the piece through a series of special exercises and tasks – and these light impulses open up a level of the invisible life of the performance.

FOUR

The method No. 4, I call the Big Bang-Method. Behind this very promising way of working with actors is the idea of the Big Bang theory, from which our civilisation, our galaxy and the whole universe emerged. So I thought I could take this cosmological method and use it to create a performance or a role. Another name for this approach is Method of Explosion because we are specifically dealing with the accumulation and release of artistic energy.

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The methods overlap each other and in many ways complement each other. As elements of one method are also present in the others, sometimes one day may be enough to explain one method while another needs more time to practise.

As a basis for all examples and practical tasks, let’s take the play “The Cherry Orchard” by Anton Chekhov. Let’s work together on the same play, but with different keys – and we will see what happens.

I’d be happy to meet you and work with you.