L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq
Encyclopedia
L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq is a school of physical theatre situated in the 10th arrondissement
of Paris. Founded in 1956 by Jacques Lecoq
, the school is a professional two-year course. The school’s graduate list includes celebrities such as Ariane Mnouchkine
of Théâtre du Soleil
and Simon McBurney
of Théâtre de Complicité.
The professional two-year course emphasises the body, movement and space as entry point in theatrical performance and prepares its students to create collaboratively.
School of Image and Gesture http://www.ellienixon.co.uk
Avner Eisenberg - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avner_Eisenberg
Arrondissements of Paris
The city of Paris is divided into twenty arrondissements municipaux administrative districts, more simply referred to as arrondissements . These are not to be confused with departmental arrondissements, which subdivide the 101 French départements...
of Paris. Founded in 1956 by Jacques Lecoq
Jacques Lecoq
Jacques Pierre Lecoq born in Paris, was a French actor, mime and acting instructor.He is most famous for his methods on physical theatre, movement and mime that he taught at the school he founded in Paris, L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq from 1956 until his death in...
, the school is a professional two-year course. The school’s graduate list includes celebrities such as Ariane Mnouchkine
Ariane Mnouchkine
Ariane Mnouchkine is a world-renowned French stage director. She founded the Parisian avant-garde stage ensemble Théâtre du Soleil in 1964. She has written and directed 1789 and Molière , and in 1989, she directed La Nuit Miraculeuse...
of Théâtre du Soleil
Théâtre du Soleil
Le Théâtre du Soleil is a Parisian avant-garde stage ensemble founded by Ariane Mnouchkine, Philippe Léotard and fellow students of the L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in 1964 as a collective of theatre artists. Le Théâtre du Soleil is located at La Cartoucherie, a former munitions...
and Simon McBurney
Simon McBurney
Simon Montagu McBurney, OBE is an English actor, writer and director. He is the founder and artistic director of Théâtre de Complicité in England, now called Complicite.-Early life:...
of Théâtre de Complicité.
The professional two-year course emphasises the body, movement and space as entry point in theatrical performance and prepares its students to create collaboratively.
Program
The Lecoq program lasts for two years. Ninety students from all over the world are accepted in the first year, and out of these, thirty will be accepted into the second year. Classes are conducted in French.Two year program
- The first year focuses upon observing movement dynamics in the world and in doing so, rediscovering life anew. In the words of Jacques Lecoq:
-
- To mime is to literally embody and therefore understand better. A person who handles bricks all day long reaches a point where he no longer knows what he is handling. It has become an automatic part of his physical life. If he is asked to mime the object, he rediscovers the meaning of the object, its weight and volume. This has interesting consequences for our teaching method: miming is a way of rediscovering a thing with renewed freshness…
- Aside from observing the world anew through the study of natural elements, materials, animals, words, sounds and colours, students also discover themselves anew with the Neutral Mask, an exercise which reveals their habits and tendencies and teaches stage presence.
- The second year focuses on exploring major dramatic territories, such as melodramaMelodramaThe term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
, buffoon, tragedyTragedyTragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
, Commedia dell'arteCommedia dell'arteCommedia dell'arte is a form of theatre characterized by masked "types" which began in Italy in the 16th century, and was responsible for the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios. The closest translation of the name is "comedy of craft"; it is shortened...
clowning and so on.
Classes
- In general, each day students have three sessions:
- Movement analysis. This includes physical preparation – learning and analysing 20 essential movements, acrobaticsAcrobaticsAcrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
, jugglingJugglingJuggling is a skill involving moving objects for entertainment or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling, in which the juggler throws objects up to catch and toss up again. This may be one object or many objects, at the same time with one or many hands. Jugglers often refer...
, stage combatStage combatStage combat is a specialized technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet productions. The term is also used informally to describe fight choreography for other...
, etc. - Improvisation.
- Autocours. Each Friday, students are asked to work in groups to prepare for a performance upon a certain theme related to their other classwork. The process of collaborative directing is often frustrating at first, but allows students to engage with each other creatively. In this way, students get to know each other extremely well, and also learn to work with others to create a piece of work.
- Movement analysis. This includes physical preparation – learning and analysing 20 essential movements, acrobatics
Laboratory of Movement (LEM)
- In addition to the two year professional course the school also offers LEM, a course which studies space and rhythm through scenographyScenography-Usage:Whilst also aligned with the professional practice of the scenographer, it is important to distinguish the individual elements that comprise the 'design' of a performance event from the term 'scenography' which is as an artistic perspective concerning the visual, experiential and spatial...
.
Noteworthy alumni
-
- Richard Crawford - actor/Co-Director Movement Theater Studio, NYC (performer in Broadway's War Horse)
- Toby SedgwickToby SedgwickToby Sedgwick is a British movement director, actor, and theatre choreographer. He achieved critical acclaim for providing "horse choreography" for War Horse, currently playing at West End's New London Theatre and Broadway's Vivian Beaumont Theatre...
- director/actor (choreographed War HorseWar Horse (play)War Horse is a play based on the book of the same name by acclaimed children's writer Michael Morpurgo, adapted for stage by Nick Stafford. Originally Morpurgo thought "they must be mad" to try to make a play from his best-selling 1982 novel. He was proved wrong by the play's instant success...
) - Steven BerkoffSteven BerkoffSteven Berkoff is an English actor, writer and director. Best known for his performance as General Orlov in the James Bond film Octopussy, he is typically cast in villanous roles, such as Lt...
- playwright and actor (Beverly Hills CopBeverly Hills CopBeverly Hills Cop is a 1984 American comedy-action film directed by Martin Brest and starring Eddie Murphy, Lisa Eilbacher, John Ashton, Judge Reinhold, and Ronny Cox...
) - Malachi Bogdanov - English Director and Writer
- Paola Coletto - Artistic Director and co-Director of Kiklos, Italy
- Bernie Collins - clown (BP Zoom)
- Emmanuelle Delpech-Ramey - clown/theater director/performer.
- Simon Edwards - The Actors Space
- Ronlin Foreman - actor, clown, School Director at Dell'Arte International School of Physical TheatreDell'Arte International School of Physical TheatreThe Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre is located in Northern California in the town of Blue Lake, California in Humboldt County, California near the major population centers of Eureka and Arcata...
- Giovanni Fusetti - Founder and Pedagogical Director of Helikos, Florence, Italy
- Philippe GaulierPhilippe GaulierPhilippe Gaulier is founder of École Philippe Gaulier, a theatre school located in Sceaux, near Paris. He trained with Jacques Lecoq from 1965 - 67. Then became a teacher at École Jacques Lecoq from 1976 - 80. Gaulier is also a playwright and has worked as a clown and theatre director...
- clown, teacher and founder of L'École Philippe GaulierPhilippe GaulierPhilippe Gaulier is founder of École Philippe Gaulier, a theatre school located in Sceaux, near Paris. He trained with Jacques Lecoq from 1965 - 67. Then became a teacher at École Jacques Lecoq from 1976 - 80. Gaulier is also a playwright and has worked as a clown and theatre director...
http://www.ecolephilippegaulier.com - Chris HarrisChris Harris (actor, director and writer)Chris Harris is an English actor, director and writer. He has appeared in several UK TV series including Into the Labyrinth and "Hey Look That's Me". More recently he has built a successful career in pantomime, acting as a pantomime dame, as well being a director and writer at the Bristol Old...
, English pantomime dame, director and writer. - Kuniaki Ida - actor, director and teacher at Teatro Arsenale
- Toby JonesToby JonesToby Edward Heslewood Jones is an English actor.-Early life:Jones was born in Hammersmith, London, the son of actors Jennifer and Freddie Jones...
- actor ("Infamous"Infamous (film)Infamous is a 2006 American drama film, based on the 1997 book by George Plimpton, Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career....
) - Lassaâd Saïdi - Founder of L'École Internationale de Théâtre Lassaad, Belgium - Brussels
- Simon McBurneySimon McBurneySimon Montagu McBurney, OBE is an English actor, writer and director. He is the founder and artistic director of Théâtre de Complicité in England, now called Complicite.-Early life:...
- actor, director and founder of Théâtre de Complicité - Gates McFaddenGates McFaddenCheryl Gates McFadden usually credited as Gates McFadden, is an American actress and choreographer. She is best known for portraying the character of Dr...
– actor (Star Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
), choreographer - Ariane MnouchkineAriane MnouchkineAriane Mnouchkine is a world-renowned French stage director. She founded the Parisian avant-garde stage ensemble Théâtre du Soleil in 1964. She has written and directed 1789 and Molière , and in 1989, she directed La Nuit Miraculeuse...
- director, writer and founder of Théâtre du SoleilThéâtre du SoleilLe Théâtre du Soleil is a Parisian avant-garde stage ensemble founded by Ariane Mnouchkine, Philippe Léotard and fellow students of the L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in 1964 as a collective of theatre artists. Le Théâtre du Soleil is located at La Cartoucherie, a former munitions... - Adrian PecknoldAdrian PecknoldAdrian Pecknold , was a Canadian mime, director, and author of the book Mime: The Step Beyond Words. He is popularly known for his creation and depiction of Poco the Clown in the popular Canadian children's television program Mr. Dressup.Pecknold studied mime at L'École Jacques Lecoq in Paris from...
- Canadian Mime Theatre - Richard PochinkoRichard Pochinkothumb|right|alt=Pochinko 1980|Richard Pochinko 1980Richard Pochinko was a notable Canadian clown trainer who developed a new style of mask/Clown performance training, known as the "Pochinko technique".-History:...
- clown, teacher at the Theatre Resource Centre and creator of the "Canadian Clowning/Pochinko Clowning Technique"Canadian clowningThe Canadian Clowning Technique is a mask-based style of performance created by Richard Pochinko.Also known as the "Pochinko Method", seven masks are used, each representing one of the six physical directions . The final mask is the Clown... - Thomas Prattki – director, founder and director of pedagogy London International School of Performing ArtsLondon International School of Performing ArtsThe London International School of Performing Arts was founded in 2003 by Thomas Prattki - the former pedagogical director of the Jacques Lecoq International School of Theatre in Paris....
- Yasmina RezaYasmina RezaYasmina Reza is a French playwright, actress, novelist and screenwriter. Her parents were both of Jewish origin, her father Iranian, her mother Hungarian.-Career:...
- playwright (‘Art’'Art' (play)‘Art’ is a French language play by Yasmina Reza that premiered on 28 October 1994 at Comédie des Champs-Élysées in Paris. The English language adaptation, translated by Christopher Hampton opened in London's West End on 15 October 1996, starring Albert Finney. It played on Broadway in New York...
) - Matteo Destro - Co-Founder of Larven Teatro, Padova, Italy
- Geoffrey RushGeoffrey RushGeoffrey Roy Rush is an Australian actor and film producer. He is one of the few people who has won the "Triple Crown of Acting": an Academy Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy Award. He has won one Academy Award for acting , three British Academy Film Awards , two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen...
- actor (Academy Award winner, "Shine"Shine (film)Shine is a 1996 Australian film based on the life of pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a mental breakdown and spent years in institutions. It stars Geoffrey Rush, Lynn Redgrave, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor, John Gielgud, Googie Withers, Justin Braine, Sonia Todd, Nicholas Bell, Chris...
) - Norman Taylor - Master of Movement Studies in Analysis and Technique
- Julie TaymorJulie TaymorJulie Taymor is an American director of theater, opera and film. Taymor's work has received many accolades from critics, and she has earned two Tony Awards out of four nominations, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design, an Emmy Award and an Academy Award nomination for Original Song...
– filmFilmA film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and Broadway theatreBroadway theatreBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
director (The Lion KingThe Lion King (musical)The Lion King is a musical based on the 1994 Disney animated film of the same name with music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice along with the musical score created by Hans Zimmer with choral arrangements by Lebo M. Directed by Julie Taymor, the musical features actors in animal costumes as well...
) - John WrightJohn Wright (theatre director)John Wright is an English theatre director.-Told By an Idiot:John Wright is an international director of theatre and is a co-founder and an artistic director of Told by an Idiot where he has directed most of their repertoire including: Aladdin at the Lyric Theatre, I Can’t wake up, On the verge of...
- Director (The Wright School) http://www.thewrightschool.co.uk - Dean Gilmour - Actor, Director
- Márcio Ballas - Brazilian Actor.
- Isaac Alvarez - Actor, Director, Dancer, Choreographer
- Ellie Nixon - Theatre director, Actress and Teacher. Co-founder of the La Mancha Theatre Company & the La Mancha International
- Rodrigo Malbran - Theatre director, Actor and Teacher. Founder of the La Mancha Theatre Company & the La Mancha International
School of Image and Gesture http://www.ellienixon.co.uk
Avner Eisenberg - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avner_Eisenberg