Theatre: the Rediscovery of Style and Other Writings

Theatre: The Rediscovery of Style and Other Writings ‘Saint- Denis had a clairvoyant divination into the soul of acting’ – Lord Olivier ‘His infl uence on all of us has been tremendous’ – Sir Alec Guinness ‘A great director, a great artist, a great man’ – Sir Michael Redgrave Michel Saint-Denis was one of twentieth-century theatre’s most infl uen- tial directors and theorists. This book combines his seminal Theatre: The Rediscovery of Style with material from Training for the Theatre, newly edited to create a work that moves seamlessly from theory to practice. • Theatre: The Rediscovery of Style collects fi ve of Saint-Denis’s key lectures, given during his time in America, and perfectly encompasses his synergy of classical theatre and modern realism. • Training for the Theatre is a key practical resource for actors, directors, and teachers alike. It covers crucial areas such as understanding a play’s context, training schedules, improvisation, and dealing with stage space, as well as a section on Saint-Denis’s use of masks in actor training. Theatre: The Rediscovery of Style and Other Writings benefi ts from Jane Baldwin’s new biographical introduction and annotations, that put Saint- Denis into context for a contemporary audience. It brings a wealth of inspirational material to both the rehearsal space and the classroom. Michel Saint- Denis was one of the pre- eminent theatrical theorists of the twentieth century. Aside from his contributions to acting, directing, teaching, and writing, he also founded theatre schools in London, Montreal, Strasbourg, and New York. Jane Baldwin is a leading expert on Saint-Denis. She is a theatre historian at the Boston Conservatory, and author of Michel Saint- Denis and the Shaping of the Modern Actor. Routledge Theatre Classics The Routledge Theatre Classics series brings some of the theatrical world’s seminal texts to a new generation. Drawn from Routledge’s extensive archives, including the renowned Theatre Arts imprint, each volume has received expert editorial attention to update it for today’s reader. This collection brings the theatre of the twentieth century into the spotlight of the twenty- fi rst. Titles include: On the Art of the Theatre Edward Gordon Craig, edited by Franc Chamberlain A prescient vision of the state of theatre from one of its great modernis- ers, still bearing huge infl uence almost a century after it was written. Theatre Arts on Acting Edited by Laurence Senelick A compendium of articles from the pages of Theatre Arts Magazine, with contributions from John Gielgud, Michael Chekhov, Konstantin Stanis- lavsky, and Lee Strasberg among others. Stanislavsky in Focus (2nd edition) Sharon M. Carnicke A crucial exploration of one of theatre’s towering fi gures. Dispels the misconceptions that dog his teachings and explains the truth behind the myth. Theatre: The Rediscovery of Style and Other Writings Michel Saint- Denis, edited and introduced by Jane Baldwin Combines Saint- Denis’s two major works, moving seamlessly from theory to practice and addressing everything from actor training to the synergy of modern and classical theatre. Theatre: The Rediscovery of Style and Other Writings Michel Saint- Denis Edited and introduced by Jane Baldwin First published 2009 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2008. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” © 2009 Dr Jane Baldwin All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Saint-Denis, Michel, 1897–1971 Theatre: the rediscovery of style and other writings / Michel Saint-Denis; edited by Jane Baldwin p. cm. First work originally published: New York, 1960, under the title: Theatre. 2nd work originally published: New York, 1982, under the title: Training for the theatre. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Theater. 2. Drama. 3. Acting—Study and teaching. I. Baldwin, Jane. II. Saint-Denis, Michel, 1897–1971 Theatre. III. Saint-Denis, Michel, 1897–1971 Training for the theatre. IV. Title. PN2037.S29 2008 792—dc22 2008010332 ISBN 0-203-89089-2 Master e-book ISBN ISBN10: 0–415–45047–0 (hbk) ISBN10: 0–415–45048–9 (pbk) ISBN13: 978–0– 415–45047–8 (hbk) ISBN13: 978–0– 415–45048–5 (pbk) Contents Foreword by Sir Peter Hall vii Illustration credits xi Prologue by Jane Baldwin 1 PART I The classical theatre 21 1 The classical French tradition: contradictions and contributions 23 PART II Classical theatre and modern realism 39 2 Style and reality 41 3 Style and stylisation 55 4 Style in acting, directing, and designing 68 5 Training for the theatre: the Old Vic School 82 Illustrations 97 PART III Acting guidelines: excerpts from Training for the Theatre 107 6 Guiding principles: the progression of the training 111 7 The actor’s techniques: physical and vocal expression 118 8 The imaginative background 146 9 Silent acting: improvisation 156 Appendix: Introduction to the fi rst edition of Theatre: The Rediscovery of Style by Sir Laurence Olivier 191 Index 195 Foreword Sir Peter Hall Michel Saint- Denis’s life was a quest for truth in the theatre. Readers of this book will fi nd that the pattern of his life refl ected that quest. He lived not by fi xed principles, but by often ambiguous and contradictory responses to differing circumstances. For Michel, his own contradictions were opportunities for renewal and continuing growth. Even ‘truth’ – his key word for praise and achieve- ment – was in some sense ambiguous. What can be said to be ‘true’ about the theatre? The actor is dressed in somebody else’s clothes, saying somebody else’s words, and asking the audience to make believe with him. I always insisted to Michael that the word ‘credible’ is more accurate and true – an easier way for an audience to imagine with the actor. But ‘truth’ sounded more compelling in his thick French accent. Who was this man really? He was a person of extreme contradiction, an intellectual whose work was instinctive; a paysan who by his very bearing and intelligence seemed an aristocrat; a radical who was passion- ate to conserve the past; a man of control who could yet fi ght recklessly for his beliefs; sceptical and responsible; ironic and dedicated. I can hear Michel laugh at my inability to categorise him. He was a Frenchman whose infl uence on British theatre directly changed the way most of us work. Four major companies – the Royal Court, the Royal National Theatre, the English National Opera, and the Royal Shake- speare Company – have all been infl uenced by his beliefs, and inspired by his passions. As I remember the man of the theatre, I also remember that in the War years he turned to what was then more important than any play-acting. Michel was Head of the French Section of the BBC, and, as the legendary Jacques Duchesne, spoke almost every evening to his countrymen in the name of Free France. This combination of perception, civilisation, and sense of the value of human communication (which is still remembered in France) gave courage and hope. This ‘truth’ did much to eradicate the lies of Nazi propaganda. My personal debt to Michel is enormous. In 1961, at my invitation, viii Foreword he and Peter Brook joined me as directors of the newly founded Royal Shakespeare Company. We all had a sense that we were beginning some- thing that could take the Shakespeare tradition into a new era. The company was young, messy, bustling, adventurous – indeed all over the place. And Michel, a man of great wisdom, decided to join this adventure because, I believe, many of his fervently held beliefs were already part of our way of working. I was a very lucky young man: Michel gave me bal- last and direction when it was critically needed. Perhaps English pragmatism, our ‘openness’ (incidentally, another favourite word of Michel’s) attracted him to us. But our ‘openness’ also encouraged us to distrust theory, perhaps as an excuse for avoiding craft. This was a danger which Michel never failed to point out to us. What he did for the Royal Shakespeare Company and for me is quite incalcula- ble. He spoke to a new generation of young actors and directors about our European heritage – about Stanislavsky, Copeau, and Brecht. He had known these men. But he did not imprison us in cold theory. Michel hated dogma. He knew well how quickly yesterday’s ‘truth’ becomes today’s comfortable convention, imitated unthinkingly and without effect. A healthy society needs a lively theatre, responsive to change. Michel was a superb teacher who loved the young. For him, they were the future – instinctive, and full of energy. He took from them as much as he gave. They could be dogmatic and obstinate – but not for long with Michel. Theory was always subjected to his sceptical (and very Gallic) challenges. He believed, of course, in craft, in technique; but only as ‘means’. Acting was not a trick to be learned and then performed; it was not imitation but rather a revelation of the whole actor’s personality.

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