Songs: An Open Work Session & Dialogue with Thomas Richards - SINGAPORE

Schedule

Sun May 12 2024 at 09:00 pm to Mon May 13 2024 at 12:00 am

Location

42 Waterloo St, Singapore 187951, Singapore | Singapore, SG

“Songs – An Open Work Session” allows us to witness Thomas Richards’ work on ancient songs with artists who have been involved in daily practice long-term, as well as artists who have limited experience in this approach. Such a work on song – initiated at the Workcenter in 1986 and carried forward in continual development by Richards over the last 35 years – serves those at work to widen their knowledge of a “work on oneself” that can be carried out through a specific approach to song and action. In this sense, “Songs” is not a theatre performance, per se, but rather a kind of “theatre non theatre” wherein, as in certain old traditions, work on song and action goes together with an approach to the interiority of the human being and its potentialities. These sessions become a means of awakening subtle aspects of inner experiencing, and can serve as a tool for the transformation of the artist’s perception and presence.
“Songs – An Open Work Session” will be followed by a dialogue with Thomas Richards, during which Mr. Richards will respond to questions from the audience and will speak about this performative research on songs and its history.
Thomas Richards, apprentice of Jerzy Grotowski, was Artistic Director of the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards for 23 years. Throughout its existence, the Workcenter was hailed as an outstanding and unique performing arts research center, a place of constant experimentation and innovation.
The founder of the Workcenter, Jerzy Grotowski, is known for having revolutionized contemporary theatre, and is considered to be one of the most influential theatre practitioners of the 20th century. In his theatre work, Grotowski changed the way theatre practitioners conceive of the audience-actor relationship, staging and the craft of acting. Perhaps best known for his notion of «poor theatre», Grotowski’s practice extended beyond the confines of conventional theatre, assuming a long-term and systematic exploration of the possibilities of the human being in a performance context. The Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski was founded in 1986 in Pontedera, Italy. There, Grotowski developed a line of performance research known as “Art as vehicle” until his death in 1999. Within this investigation, he worked closely with Mr. Richards whom he called his “essential collaborator,” eventually changing the name of the Workcenter to include that of Richards. During those years, Grotowski transmitted to Richards the fruit of his lifetime research, what he called “the inner aspect of the work.”
Duration: approx. 90 minutes + Dialogue
Led by: Thomas Richards
With: Hyun Ju Baek, Ettore Brocca, Kei Franklin, Alejandro Linares, Jessica Losilla-Hébrail, Fabio Pagano and Thomas Richards
Special Thanks to The Necessary Stage for lending us cushions!

Where is it happening?

42 Waterloo St, Singapore 187951, Singapore

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Host or Publisher Theatre No Theatre

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