The Soul of the American Actor / Articles HOME ABOUT US CURRENT ISSUE ADVERTISE RESOURCES ANGELS & SUBSCRIBERS “Life is The Work of Yat Malmgren: meaningless without art.” Christopher Fettes’ New Book: - Karen Finley “A People Labyrinth” by Ronald Rand “Above all, you must remain Christopher Fettes, renowned theatre practitioner and highly-regarded acting teacher in the UK and around the world has created a new book – A Peopled Labyrinth: The Histrionic open and fresh Sense: An Analysis of the Actor’s Craft, dealing comprehensively with ‘The Histrionic and alive to any Sense’ or the Law of Expression of the application of Yat Malmgren’s work. new idea.” Mr. Fettes’ book is an engrossing - Laurence journey into Yat Malmgren’s technique of actor training, Olivier stemming from the creation of one of the great English acting schools: Drama Centre, London. Yat “The body does Malmgren’s work continues not have through the training at the Giles Foreman Centre for Acting taught memory. It is by Mr. Fettes and Giles Foreman, memory.” successor to Yat Malmgren. - Jerzy As Mr. Fettes clearly states in the Grotowski beginning of the book: “The Histrionic Sense enables a man to interpret gesture on the one hand, Articles “In everything, the act of speech on the other. When we come to speech, most of without doubt, us believe we know where we Rose Bruford College of truth has the stand. We know, or anyhow sense Theatre and Performance - obscurely, that a sign, or strictly London’s International advantage over speaking a symbol, in that it stands, Drama School imitation.” not for something in the present - Cicero environment that confronts us, as Washington, D.C.'s Studio the screech of brakes indicates the Theatre presence of a fast-moving car, but, to be precise, the ‘idea’ of a thing. San Francisco Ballet “The actor must Words exhibit meanings, on a one- constantly to-one basis. If we don’t understand them, we can resort to the use of a dictionary. Because Grand Ball in the Belle Epoch actors or the actresses often seem indifferent to the interpretation of the text as such, they are remember that widely thought to be stupid; improperly so, that telling a story involves, more importantly, the - Edwardian Period Style he is on the creation of virtual events that have about them a peculiar ‘feel.’ It is the business of the actor Salon Workshop stage for the to communicate to the audience a feeling of eventual and lasting happiness or alternatively of impending doom…What ensues (in this book) is a detailed account of the Laban-Carpenter Keegan Theatre sake of the ‘Theory of Movement Psychology,’ brought to its conclusion by Yat Malmgren in the public.” context, not of Dance, as might be expected, but of Dramatic Art.” Pan Asian Repertory Theatre Celebrates its 39th - Johann Yat Malmgren’s journey into developing a Anniversary Wolfgang von technique of actor training grew out of his career as one of the great solo artists of European Goethe MetroStage Theatre modern dance during the mid-point of the http://www.soulamericanactor.com/article15.shtml[1/19/2018 3:52:11 PM] The Soul of the American Actor / Articles twentieth century. Swine Palace Theatre “One wishes to In the early 1930’s, Malmgren first trained as an Asolo Repertory Theatre know actor under Julia Hakanson, who had originally created roles in August Strindberg’s plays. something but However, Malmgren’s direction lay in dance, Ontological-Hysteric Theatre the answer is in and he soon received world-renowned recognition for his dance solo recitals across Amelia Community Theatre a form of being Europe. Malmgren was then invited to dance more aware – of with Kurt Jooss’ company in London, and Discovering Lunt & Fontanne being open to a around that time also met Rudolf Laban, a dance artist and theorist, and also considered one of the Harlem Repertory Theatre richer level of most important figures in the history of dance. experience.” Santa Fe Playhouse In 1939, Kurt Jooss invited Malmgren to join the - Peter Brook Jooss company, and Malmgren went on to perform on tours across Britain, the U.S., Canada Opera Colorado and South America. A year later while the company was on tour in South America, Malmgren decided to leave the company and stay in Brazil. He established a school, danced as a solo National Hispanic Cultural artist, created an impressionist cycle based on the preludes of Debussy and Negro spirituals, Center as well as a series of studies from the lives of the young mulatto dancers of Rio de Janiero’s streets. Red Eagle Soaring Native It was during a time in Brazil that he witnessed the effect of shamanic trances, and began to Youth Theatre see how an external rhythm can completely change the internal life of a person - that movements associated with certain rhythms can definitely influence a person’s mental and Lorraine Hansberry Theatre emotional life. This would play a direct role in the later discoveries of his life’s work. Coatlicue Theater Company After Malmgren was appointed choreographer to the Casino Copacabana, he also began a series of recitals with two outstanding soloists from the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, Tatiana London's Finborough Theatre Leskova and Nini Theilade, and in the late 1940’s returned to Europe. Continuing his recitals, he concluded his touring with a triumphant return to dance at the Concert House in New Repertory Theatre in Stockholm. Malmgren was awarded a scholarship by Mona Inglesby, prima ballerina of the Boston International Ballet, to study in London and Paris. When he sustained an injury in 1954, it unfortunately ended his stage career. The Work of Yat Malmgren: Christopher Fettes’ New Book It was just by chance, while he was in London that he was introduced to the actor, Harold Lang, “A Peopled Labyrinth” who persuaded him to begin teaching movement classes. Among his students included Sean Terry Knickerbocker Studio Connery, Diane Cilento, Natasha Parry, Patricia in New York City Neal, Gillian Lynne, Anthony Hopkins, Brian Bedford, Elizabeth Fielding, as well as the directors Peter Brook, Tony Richardson, Bill Gaskill, Michael Blakemore, Seth Holt and Alexander Mackendrick. The directors were students of Yat Malmgren but had an interest in the work and in the actors he worked with. “Love is stronger than differences. It was during this period of time that Yat We all live on the same planet. We Malmgren and Christopher Fettes first met and walk on the same earth. We they soon decided to hold classes together in a studio space in Covent Garden. Among the breathe the same air. No matter actors attending these classes included Diane where I was born, no matter what Cilento, Anthony Hopkins and Sean Connery. Malmgren was also invited by George Devine to work at the Royal Court, and by Rudolf Laban to join the staff of the Art of Movement color skin I have or what religion I Studio in Addlestone, Surrey. The following year he assisted Sir Peter Brook and Sir John was raised to believe in, everything Gielgud on their production of “The Tempest.” Malmgren was also invited by Lawrence and everyone is connected to this Olivier to work at the National Theatre. one life. I no longer choose to Also, during the early 1950’s, Laban and his assistant, William Carpenter, explored the prejudge others, to feel either synthesis of movement expression and aspects of Jungian psychology. Carpenter began to create a common language related to his theory of four distinct personality types, and the superior or inferior. I choose psychological factors of the human being. equality – to have warm, loving, As Malmgren sought to find a coherent training system for actors, he began to see a link open communication with every existed between Laban’s and Carpenter’s work to Stanislavsky’s System of Acting regarding member of my Earthly family. I am character and action. Central to Malmgren’s approach was Laban’s precise, detailed analysis of the non-discursive symbolism of dance, the role of gesture and what it plays in underlying a member of the earth http://www.soulamericanactor.com/article15.shtml[1/19/2018 3:52:11 PM] The Soul of the American Actor / Articles the act of speech. Malmgren extended these ideas by completing Laban’s theory with the community.” Confluence of Externalized Drives, thereby creating a fully realized typology of human - Louise L. Hay expression bringing together Laban and Stanislavsky. In the fall of 1963, Yat Malmgren and Christopher Fettes created a new theatre school, the Drama Centre London in an old church, that would literally change the face of training in the UK and around the world. Actors who have studied at the Drama Centre London include Colin Firth, Michael “To flourish, society depends on a Fassbender, Lambert Wilson, Pierce Brosnan, Simon Callow, Geraldine James, John Simm and Penelope Wilton, Ian Hogg, David Leland, Oliver Cotton, Jack Shepherd, Celia strong cultural heritage as well as Bannerman, Penelope Wilton, Frances de la Tour, Paul Bettany, Anne Marie Duff, Tara innovation. The challenge is to Fitzgerald, Helen McCrory, and Tom Hardy. breathe new life into the arts. Today, Mr. Fettes teaches at The Giles Foreman Centre for Acting in London. Giles Foreman, Creativity is at the heart of every one of the leading acting teachers in the UK, a specialist in the Methodological approach to acting, was trained by Christopher Fettes, Yat Malmgren and Reuven Adiv. He carries on the successful nation. It finds torch of training into the next generation of actors. expression in great visual art, Christopher Fettes had originally started out wonderful music, fabulous as an actor working with the legendary East performances, stunning writing, London Theatre Company led by Joan gritty new productions and Littlewood.