The Laboratory Approach

An unknown yet actor’s training in the U.K. called ludic play and based on Russian Master’s Anatoli Vassiliev theory and practice. The ludic play is based on a very particular form of analysis of texts and rehearsals called – the étude, a theatre technique, where the actor plays using his/her own words, images and impulses. His/her object is the study of action (be it psychological, physical or/and verbal). The material for this action comes from images given in the texts studied, but which are transformed, by the actors, towards a creative act. Close to improvisation, because of its apparent lack of preparation and the difficulty of reproducing, its development is unpredictable. The étude becomes thus an instrument for the dramatic composition. The étude’s rich process brings step by step the actors closer to the words of the play and allows them to build the depth of the characters in the most organic way. The outcome on stage is extremely powerful and creates a real flux between the actors’ entire body and mind and their characters.

Rawmatterial launches its first studio laboratory, a practice rarely encountered in the U.K., with a theatre approach that has never been explored in the land of Shakespeare ever before.

Addressed to theatre professionals and drama students alike, this 10-day workshop will take place in the beautiful Poetry Café in Covent Garden, London and will explore Oscar Wilde’s lesser known texts (The Decay of Lying, De Profundis, etc..).
The laboratory will be conducted by theatre director and pedagogue Stéphane Poliakov actress and researcher Maria Gaitanidi, using a dramatic analysis of the text for the action and put in practice with the method of the étude, as developed by Russian Master Anatoli Vassiliev.

Dates: 17-28 April (22-23 day off)
Time: 11am-4pm
Participation Fee: £250 for the entire 10-day period*
Applications are also open to international candidates; the leaders speak English, French, Italian and Greek.

Places are limited to 12 so please send a CV and a short paragraph on why you want to participate to the workshop to Sylvain, info@rawmatterial.org
Selected participants will be emailed about what they need to prepare and other practical requirements.

Deadline for application: 10 April
*We are committed to keeping the fee as low as possible to promote a broad access to our 50 hours workshops. Please note that for this reason, we are unable to grant any discount or concession.