Abstract

J-term 2015's Ensemble & Experimental Acting class was dedicated to exploring the performance methods of groundbreaking British theatre company Frantic Assembly.  Their highly physical approach is committed to developing expressive, stylized movement using actors without extensive dance training.  It has been employed by theatre companies across the globe to devise new work.  Our class was committed to answering two questions: 1) Can this approach be used to bring new life to conventionally scripted theatre?  2) Can pieces developed solely through the exercises Frantic developed have not only theatrical vitality but a strong sense of character, relationship, and story?

In order to answer question 1, we developed and staged several plays by award-winning dramatist J.P. Shanley.  We found the approach developed by Frantic to be consistently useful in our efforts to express his passionate dramaturgy.  It may be noteworthy that his short play Red Coat, the most realistic play we engaged, arguably benefitted most from the “Frantic Treatment.”  Other plays like Sailor’s Song and Let Us Go Out Into the Starry Night were likewise effectively mounted, seeming to have readymade opportunities for the heightened theatricality this approach generated.