Watch video from the experiment “The actor and the über-marionette”

The experiment “The actor and the über-puppet“, which has been running at the Experimental Station since September 24, 2015, is an investigation into the scenic expression of the actor and the puppet theater and the fusion of both into a new scenic expression.

It is now possible to watch a video clip of the experimental work. The video is made by Poul Storm and Øyvind Kirchhoff.

The experiment is inspired by Gordon Craig’s (1872-1966) thoughts and ideas about the über-marionette, the ideal actor as a kind of puppet figure, the ultimate dramatic instrument. The one who can move based on what he wants and not just on what he can do.

The team works from Etienne Decroux’s mime technique and Jacques Copeau’s mask work and puppetry technique as a bid to realise Craig’s ideal image of the actor.

Research also includes Polish director Tandeusz Kantor’s work with puppets and actors on stage, where the lifeless puppets almost seem more alive than the actors, who are mute with mechanical movements and empty eyes.

For the puppeteer, it is about giving life and movement to the dead material, and the experiment poses the question: What does it mean for the scenic expression to give “death” to the living body with flesh and blood?