Dick McCaw

The Viewpoints Book

include examples from South American, African or Asian companies, as it would have been interesting to compare a truly global selection of companies. However, the bias within the collection enables those interviewed to articulate the influence of late twentieth-century European theatre practice on British and American companies, tracing the influence of companies like Gardzienice, and practitioners such as Jacques Lecoq, through multiple lines. It is this fracturing and looping of influences and ideas that is most compelling within the book. It is, perhaps, not surprising that radically different practitioners work in radically different ways; however, as one works through the book, the heterogeneity of approach found in each of the interviews gives way to somewhat of a consensus regarding the importance of reflecting on collaborative practice when working in an ensemble. Although each of the practitioners has differing aims, they all share a sense of the ways in which collaboration in theatre demands a continual process of renovation. It is also clear that few of the companies and practitioners conceive of the contemporary ensemble as being a large group of performers and technicians, permanently employed over a number of years. Most of those interviewed argue (either explicitly or implicitly) that the ability of an ensemble to evolve fluidly from one manifestation to another is vital within contemporary performance – even those from Eastern and Central European countries with experience of working in large, state funded companies. In this way, the process of ensemble theatre making is outlined as a practice that is subject to training – a practice that demands care, consideration and effort from both the individual and the group in order to function. In some ways The Contemporary Ensemble makes it difficult to draw solid conclusions. Radosavljević approaches the interviews with questions tailored specifically for her subjects. This enables a detailed engagement with the practitioner’s personal process; however, I was left to wonder if asking each of the interviewees the same questions (with room for elaboration) the reader would be able to draw more parallels between the different working methods being discussed. As it is, Radosavljević’s book provides a somewhat disjointed but nonetheless captivating snapshot of contemporary theatre practice, which inspires through its subjects’ commitment to collaborative theatre making.

Not an) Editorial

This editorial is part reflection and part edited transcript of a conversation between Mary Paterson and Dick McCaw, the two editors of this special edition of Theatre, Dance and Performance Training (editing the papers and the Training Grounds contributions, respectively). We chose not to transcribe our conversation in a conventional format – listing who said what, and when – but to intertwine our thoughts into one voice that moves between the singular and the plural, and to edit liberally in order to make sense of what we meant both at the time, and on reflection.

Understanding the meaning of movement

This article is an exploration of two approaches to movement observation, both of which were informed by the ideas of Rudolf Laban. The first, Movement Pattern Analysis, was developed by Warren Lamb, a former student of Laban’s. The second, SPIFFER (Space Path, Initiation, Foundation, Flow, Effort, Respiration), was developed by Feldenkrais practitioner and trainer Larry Goldfarb after working with Scott Clark, a Laban teacher.

Training Grounds Editorial

Northumbria University has developed Northumbria Research Link (NRL) to enable users to access the University’s research output. Copyright

Essai – (French: ‘test’, ‘attempt’, ‘trial’, ‘try-out’)

Contribution by Jillian Wallis (University of Greenwich author) titled: The Fine Line between Enabling and Directing, appears on pp. 130-132: Whilst the student experience, now a well-worn phrase in academia, must be primarily a learning one, how do we as teachers combine that principle with the goal of producing excellent work? Like many others, I moved into theatre teaching from a background of performing and directing. Mostly this has been a happy transition – the knowledge and experience of professional theatre transfers well into the learning environment as students enjoy the rigour, intensity and high expectations placed upon them. For me, the satisfaction and rewards are closely aligned to the “real” theatre world, particularly when it comes to creating new work. On some level we become a group of artists deeply involved with a shared theatrical ambition, working together to realise it.

Answer the Question

The International Workshop Festival (IWF) was one of Britains main providers of continuing training opportunities for professionals working in the performing arts between 1988 and 2001. At that ti...