Head of Nails
circulation of actors (Teatro O Bando)
Season 06/07/08
One text for three directors who worked out three different productions.
The directors work with three actors from one country for one week, than the actors travelled further to the next station where the next director continued the work, which was done at the station before.
At the end the director finished the production in his native language with his own actors (who now had been working with 2 - or more - different directors) and gets a production for his normal repertoire which includes the methods and images of his colleagues.
March 15, 2007: Alexander, Sergej and Yuri land after a long journey in the middle of the night at Lisbon Airport. Although they are being met, the man and the woman who escort them to the car do not give a reliable impression.
The questions they ask resemble an inquisition and they argue intensely in an incomprehensible language which almost leads to the termination of the taxi trip. All this time the video camera is running.
This strange reception irritates the Russian actors throughout the evening.
The next morning they meet Miguel and Christa who turn out to be charming staff members from Teatro O Bando. They had been requested by Joćo Brites, the artistic director, to perform a part of their acting job for the project “Head of Nails” the night before. irritation is part of this project, even though it might not be quite as radical at the other three project locations.
Three theatre companies from three countries are producing this experimental co-production. In recent years, the artistic directors have had the opportunity to take note of one another’s work and observe each artist’s individual “signature”.
The project unites – on the basis of the absurd scenes by the Russian dramatist Daniil Kharms – the methodical approaches, the artistic signatures and the initial conceptual starting point of three European directors.
The rehearsal period begins with three actors of each company travelling to one of the partners, to work on two scenes with the resident director for a week. subsequently they travel to the second partner where they continue to rehearse for another week, developing further the results of the previous week. After 14 days they return home and “their” director finalizes the production as a performance for their national audience.
This co-production can only be successful if all participants are in the mood to forget their certainties and their proven experiences. For at least two weeks they must leave their safe environment and open up to working in a foreign, unfamiliar and therefore questionable atmosphere.
The confrontation of the three Stanislawski-trained Russian actors with the methods of the Portuguese and British-Dutch directors demanded an above average amount of curiosity, and alertness.
In addition, it asked for the ability of throwing over board one’s tried and tested ways for at least two weeks. Naturally this was no different for the Portuguese and Dutch actors during their travels.
However, also for the directors the encounter with actors who are not only trained differently, but also have a different cultural background has turned out to be an exceptional challenge. Every team will have to decide for themselves how much of these unusual experiences they will allow to influence their own work during the two weeks of exchange.
The performance with nine actors from three countries, who have interlocked their acting of the same scenes by Kharms under the direction of three directors, is the unique presentation of an unusual approach. This is a performance with all its peculiarities which might have been appealing to the author.
Dear Russian and Portuguese colleagues, we have also had a fantastic working process over the first two weeks, first with the wonderfully physical, alert and inventive Portuguese actors, who
brought an incredible unpredictability to an already unpredictable text. Then in week two we learned enormously from the soulful, passionate, inventive and multi-layered work of the Russian actors. Everyone here is deeply under the impression of the two open rehearsals, the end results of which were both so completely different. And we are taking forward what we have discovered, and also what we are learning through our actors of the working processes
of Joćo and Anatoly, both of which we are building on in our rehearsals. It is fascinating to see the traces of all the actors and all the directors in the work now developing on the floor.
All best wishes - Ben Harrison, Annemieke Delis and Jan-Willem van Kruyssen
het MUZtheater
Dear colleagues!
We congratulate you on the successful termination of the first stage of our project. These two weeks were really exciting and fruitful, full of new experiences and pleasant surprises. We are fascinated by Dutch actors. They are so sensitive, open-hearted, always so interested in creative experiments and in any new information. Portuguese actors astonished us with their professionalism, creative discipline and artistic temperament.
They have shown us an excellent harmonious ensemble. Our work during these two weeks has enriched all of us in a professional sense.
It was a successful and promising beginning and we hope that further work on our co- production will be as fascinating as this first step.
Thank you! We are looking forward to our future meetings.
Anatoly Praudin, Natalia Djachenko, The Experimental Stage.
Dear Friends,
the whole experience with this theatrical intercourse was very beautiful and rewarding. The capacity in which the actors had to engage and to commit themselves to very different methods and ways of working was really interesting to observe.
Differences on building the characters, on performing, on understanding scenes and situations, were always received and integrated with great availability, curiosity and enthusiasm. It was also good that they received things without denying their own background, but integrating everything at their own time, living in and for the present. I believe that the things we have discovered together, the multiple solutions that were found, the common education and sharing that happened, will always be of great importance to each one of us.
All the best, Joćo Brites, Teatro O Bando
One text for three directors who worked out three different productions.
The directors work with three actors from one country for one week, than the actors travelled further to the next station where the next director continued the work, which was done at the station before.
At the end the director finished the production in his native language with his own actors (who now had been working with 2 - or more - different directors) and gets a production for his normal repertoire which includes the methods and images of his colleagues.
March 15, 2007: Alexander, Sergej and Yuri land after a long journey in the middle of the night at Lisbon Airport. Although they are being met, the man and the woman who escort them to the car do not give a reliable impression.
The questions they ask resemble an inquisition and they argue intensely in an incomprehensible language which almost leads to the termination of the taxi trip. All this time the video camera is running.
This strange reception irritates the Russian actors throughout the evening.
The next morning they meet Miguel and Christa who turn out to be charming staff members from Teatro O Bando. They had been requested by Joćo Brites, the artistic director, to perform a part of their acting job for the project “Head of Nails” the night before. irritation is part of this project, even though it might not be quite as radical at the other three project locations.
Three theatre companies from three countries are producing this experimental co-production. In recent years, the artistic directors have had the opportunity to take note of one another’s work and observe each artist’s individual “signature”.
The project unites – on the basis of the absurd scenes by the Russian dramatist Daniil Kharms – the methodical approaches, the artistic signatures and the initial conceptual starting point of three European directors.
The rehearsal period begins with three actors of each company travelling to one of the partners, to work on two scenes with the resident director for a week. subsequently they travel to the second partner where they continue to rehearse for another week, developing further the results of the previous week. After 14 days they return home and “their” director finalizes the production as a performance for their national audience.
This co-production can only be successful if all participants are in the mood to forget their certainties and their proven experiences. For at least two weeks they must leave their safe environment and open up to working in a foreign, unfamiliar and therefore questionable atmosphere.
The confrontation of the three Stanislawski-trained Russian actors with the methods of the Portuguese and British-Dutch directors demanded an above average amount of curiosity, and alertness.
In addition, it asked for the ability of throwing over board one’s tried and tested ways for at least two weeks. Naturally this was no different for the Portuguese and Dutch actors during their travels.
However, also for the directors the encounter with actors who are not only trained differently, but also have a different cultural background has turned out to be an exceptional challenge. Every team will have to decide for themselves how much of these unusual experiences they will allow to influence their own work during the two weeks of exchange.
The performance with nine actors from three countries, who have interlocked their acting of the same scenes by Kharms under the direction of three directors, is the unique presentation of an unusual approach. This is a performance with all its peculiarities which might have been appealing to the author.
Dear Russian and Portuguese colleagues, we have also had a fantastic working process over the first two weeks, first with the wonderfully physical, alert and inventive Portuguese actors, who
brought an incredible unpredictability to an already unpredictable text. Then in week two we learned enormously from the soulful, passionate, inventive and multi-layered work of the Russian actors. Everyone here is deeply under the impression of the two open rehearsals, the end results of which were both so completely different. And we are taking forward what we have discovered, and also what we are learning through our actors of the working processes
of Joćo and Anatoly, both of which we are building on in our rehearsals. It is fascinating to see the traces of all the actors and all the directors in the work now developing on the floor.
All best wishes - Ben Harrison, Annemieke Delis and Jan-Willem van Kruyssen
het MUZtheater
Dear colleagues!
We congratulate you on the successful termination of the first stage of our project. These two weeks were really exciting and fruitful, full of new experiences and pleasant surprises. We are fascinated by Dutch actors. They are so sensitive, open-hearted, always so interested in creative experiments and in any new information. Portuguese actors astonished us with their professionalism, creative discipline and artistic temperament.
They have shown us an excellent harmonious ensemble. Our work during these two weeks has enriched all of us in a professional sense.
It was a successful and promising beginning and we hope that further work on our co- production will be as fascinating as this first step.
Thank you! We are looking forward to our future meetings.
Anatoly Praudin, Natalia Djachenko, The Experimental Stage.
Dear Friends,
the whole experience with this theatrical intercourse was very beautiful and rewarding. The capacity in which the actors had to engage and to commit themselves to very different methods and ways of working was really interesting to observe.
Differences on building the characters, on performing, on understanding scenes and situations, were always received and integrated with great availability, curiosity and enthusiasm. It was also good that they received things without denying their own background, but integrating everything at their own time, living in and for the present. I believe that the things we have discovered together, the multiple solutions that were found, the common education and sharing that happened, will always be of great importance to each one of us.
All the best, Joćo Brites, Teatro O Bando
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