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    • Publisher:
      Cambridge University Press
      Publication date:
      27 March 2026
      23 April 2026
      ISBN:
      9781009684279
      9781009684286
      9781009684255
      Dimensions:
      (229 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.281kg, 80 Pages
      Dimensions:
      (229 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.131kg, 80 Pages
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    Book description

    This Element argues that movement, overseen by a movement director, is vital for theatre-making. It can support actors with characterisation and playing others responsibly and ethically, for scripted and non-scripted tasks: from dances to fights, from parades to murders, or other human behaviour. Movement directing is an increasingly common role as it helps forge an ensemble and build 'worlds' on stage, and plays a crucial part in shaping how actors work with and in space. The Element's autoethnographic approach draws on the author's movement direction for ten productions in the UK, most with director Katie Mitchell, based on his research into and experience with Gardzienice Theatre Association, Poland, from 1989. The Element offers a perspective that is missing in accounts of Mitchell's oeuvre and much British movement scholarship by examining the influence of the Grotowskian lineage on British theatre and by discussing voice work and text delivery, something often overlooked.

    References

    Abramowicz, M., Ciechowicz, J. and Kręglewska-Powązka, K. (eds.) (2017) Dybuk: na pograniczu dwóch światów/The Dybbuk: In Between Two Worlds. Gdańsk: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego.
    Allain, P. (1994) ‘Movement Directing’, Total Theatre, Winter 6–4(9). https://totaltheatre.org.uk/archive/features/movement-directing (Accessed: 21 July 2025).
    Allain, P. (1997) Gardzienice: Polish Theatre in Transition. Amsterdam: Taylor & Francis.
    Allain, P. and Camilleri, F. (2018) Physical Actor Training – an Online AZ. Bloomsbury, Methuen Drama films online. www.dramaonlinelibrary.com/physical-actor-training (Accessed: 23 July 2025).
    Allain, P. (2020) ‘Stumbling around Polish Theatre with Katie Mitchell: A Personal Reflection’, Contemporary Theatre Review, Special Issue on Katie Mitchell, 30(2), 260264.
    Allain, P. (2023) ‘Filming Process: Questions and Considerations’, Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, 14(4), 431443.
    An-sky, Sh. (1992) The Dybbuk. Personal Rehearsal Copy.
    Arden, J. (2014) Arden Plays 1: Waters of Babylon; When Is a Door … ; Live Like Pigs; Serjeant Musgrave’s Dance; The Happy Haven. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.
    Britton, J. (ed.) (2013) Encountering Ensemble. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.
    Bulgakov, M. (2009) The Heart of a Dog. London: Random House.
    Campo, G. and Molik, Z. (2010) Zygmunt Molik’s Voice and Body Work: The Legacy of Jerzy Grotowski. Abingdon: Routledge.
    Caplan, D. and Moss, R. M. (2023) The Dybbuk Century. Michigan: University of Michigan Press.
    Carver, G. (2016) Bodies in the Crypt: A Director’s Perspective. Routledge Performance Archive. www.routledgeperformancearchive.com/browse/commentators/paul-allain/bodies-in-the-crypt-by-paul-allain (Accessed: 6 May 2025). Film.
    Chang, H. (2016) Autoethnography as Method. New York: Taylor and Francis.
    Cheney, P. (ed.) (2006) Cambridge Companion to Christopher Marlowe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    Cornford, T. and Svich, C. (eds.) (2020) Contemporary Theatre Review, Special Issue on Katie Mitchell, 30(2), 135302.
    Cotton-Soares, E. (2014) Notes on Massacre at Paris rehearsals. Other.
    Denzin, N. (2013) Interpretive Autoethnography. London: SAGE Publications.
    Dowling, N. (2011) ‘Teatr Piesn Kozla and its Integration into Western European Theatre Training’, Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, 2(2), 243259.
    Evans, M. (2009) Movement Training for the Modern Actor. London: Taylor & Francis.
    Evans, M. (2019) Performance, Movement and the Body. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.
    Evans, S. (2004) Stopping Places: A Gypsy History of South London and Kent. Hertfordshire: University of Hertfordshire Press.
    Fensham, R. (2021) Theory for Theatre Studies: Movement. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.
    Flatt, K. (2022) Movement Direction: Developing Physical Narrative for Performance. Marlborough: The Crowood Press.
    Fowler, B. (ed.) (2018) The Theatre of Katie Mitchell. London: Routledge.
    Fowler, B. (2021) Katie Mitchell: Beautiful Illogical Acts. Abingdon: Taylor & Francis.
    Gottlieb, V. (2005) ‘Vakhtangov’s Musicality: Reassessing Yevgeny Vakhtangov (1883–1922)’, Contemporary Theatre Review, 15(2), 259268.
    Green, D. and Ewan, V. (2015) Actor Movement: Expression of the Physical Being. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
    Grotowski, J. (1968) Towards a Poor Theatre. London: Methuen.
    Harvie, J. (2005) Staging the UK. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
    Hodge, A. (2013) Core Training for the Relational Actor. London: Routledge. DVD.
    Hodge, A. and Staniewski, W. (2004) Hidden Territories: The Theatre of Gardzienice. London: Routledge. With DVD.
    Ibsen, H. (2014) Ibsen Plays 1: Ghosts; The Wild Duck; The Master Builder. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.
    Kennedy, D. (1964) English Folk Dancing: Today and Yesterday. London: Harper-Collins.
    Kershaw, B. and Nicholson, H. (eds) (2011) Research Methods in Theatre and Performance. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
    Kurosawa, A. (1954) Seven Samurai. Japan: Toho Co., Ltd. Film.
    Landis, J. (ed.) (1966) 3 Great Jewish Plays. New York: Applause.
    Road, Major. Heart of a Dog. (1990) Personal Rehearsal Copy.
    Marlowe, C. (2003) (ed. J. B. Steane, ) The Complete Plays. London: Penguin Classics.
    Mitchell, K. (2009) The Director’s Craft: A Handbook for the Theatre. London: Taylor & Francis.
    Pitches, J., Murray, S., Poynor, H. and Worth, L. et al. (2011) ‘Performer Training: Researching Practice in the Theatre Laboratory’, in Kershaw, B. and Nicholson, H. (eds.) Research Methods in Theatre and Performance. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. pp. 137161.
    Quigley, K. (2020) Performing the Unstageable. London: Methuen
    Radosavljević, D. (ed.) (2013) The Contemporary Ensemble. London: Routledge.
    Radosavljević, D. (2020) ‘Curating the Invisible: An Archive-Embedded Interview with Struan Leslie’, Contemporary Theatre Review. (2020) Special Issue on Katie Mitchell, 30(2), 236244.
    Russell Taylor, J. (1963) Anger and After. Harmondsworth: Pelican.
    Shakespeare, W. (2008) The Oxford Shakespeare: Henry VI Part Three. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
    Solga, K. and Rebellato, D. (2018) ‘Katie Mitchell and the Politics of Naturalist Theatre’, in Fowler, B. (ed.) The Theatre of Katie Mitchell. London: Routledge. pp. 3971.
    Sowerby, G. (1994) Rutherford and Son. Personal Rehearsal Copy.
    Tashkiran, A. (2020) Movement Directors in Contemporary Theatre: Conversations on Craft. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.
    Taylor, G., Jowett, J., Bourus, T., and Egan, G. (eds.) (2016) The New Oxford Shakespeare: Modern Critical Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
    Tinius, J. (2024) ‘Fieldwork as Method in Theatre and Performance Studies’, in Davis, T. C. and Rae, P. (eds.) The Cambridge Guide to Mixed Methods Research for Theatre and Performance Studies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 190212.
    Toller, E. (1936) Seven Plays by Ernst Toller. New York: Liveright Publishing Corporation.
    White, P. (ed.) (1997) Marlowe, History and Sexuality. New York: AMS Press.

    Interview

    11 July 2025. On Heart of a Dog with Al Dix (director) and Jem Wall (actor).

    Websites Referenced

    Atkinson, J. B. (1926) The Dybbuk. Review in the New York Times, 14 December. https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/166/oa_monograph/chapter/3769977 (Accessed: 21 August 2025).
    BBC (2021) ‘Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Performers “Under-Represented” on-screen’. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-55419654 (Accessed: 6 May 2025).
    Billington, M. (2023) ‘Ibsen’s Ghosts’. www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/nov/06/ibsen-ghosts-productions (Accessed: 21 August 2025).
    Boyd, M. (2010) ‘RSC and Ensemble’. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogKjPpQQyn8&t=19s (Accessed: 6 May 2025).
    Christon, L. (1994) ‘She Delivers More than a Message’. www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-10-30-ca-56527-story.html (Accessed: 6 May 2025).
    Freedman, H. (2019) ‘How to Deal with a Dybbuk’. www.thejc.com/judaism/how-to-deal-with-a-dybbuk-p3c4sgkb (Accessed: 11 March 2025).
    Higgins, C. (2016) ‘Katie Mitchell, British Theatre’s Queen in Exile’, Guardian. www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/jan/14/british-theatre-queen-exile-katie-mitchell (Accessed: 17 July 2025).
    Kafrissen, R. (2022) ‘The Many Faces of The Dybbuk’. www.tabletmag.com/sections/community/articles/many-faces-dybbuk (Accessed: 10 June 2025).
    Lumet, S. (1960) ‘The Dybbuk’. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4zM0cyHmdc (Accessed: 6 May 2025).
    Maman, S. (no date) ‘Dance Website’. www.israelidances.com/choreographer.asp?name=shlomomaman (Accessed: 6 May 2025).
    Mitchell, K. (1995) ‘Weavers of Dreams’. Independent. www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/weavers-of-dreams-1593259.html (Accessed: 6 May 2025).
    Museum of the Yiddish Theatre (no date) ‘The Dybbuk’. www.museumoffamilyhistory.com/moyt/pih/habima-dybbuk.htm (Accessed: 6 May 2025).
    Pfefferman, N. (2003) ‘Polish Director Honors Legacy with Classic Tale’. https://jewishjournal.com/culture/arts/8212/ (Accessed: 12 June 2025).
    Posner, D. N. (2023) ‘Documents on the Creation and Reception of Habima’s the Dybbuk’. https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/166/oa_monograph/chapter/3769977 (Accessed: 6 May 2025).
    The Stage (2025) ‘Fagin Actor Simon Lipkin: Jewish Roles Can Be Played by Anyone “If Done with Respect’’’. www.thestage.co.uk/news/fagin-actor-simon-lipkin-jewish-roles-can-be-played-by-anyone-if-done-with-respect (Accessed: 6 May 2025).
    Wagner, J. (2023) ‘We Need to Talk about Jewface’. www.thejc.com/life/we-need-to-talk-about-jewface-k10jdsj5 (Accessed: 6 May 2025).
    Wagner, J. (no date) ‘Casting Jewish’. https://juliawagnerfilm.com/castingjewish/ (Accessed: 6 May 2025).
    Hogarth Etching, William (no date) ‘Hudibras Encounters the Skimmington’. www.rct.uk/collection/913465/hudibras-encounters-the-skimmington (Accessed: 18 May 2025).

    Archives

    Platform on Rutherford and Son, 3 June 1994, Royal National Theatre Archive, London. www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/about-us/archive/.
    Royal Shakespeare Archive, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon. https://collections.shakespeare.org.uk/search/everything.

    Exhibition

    The Dybbuk: Phantom of the Lost World (2024–2025), Museum of the Art and History of Judaism, Paris. September 2024 – January 2025.

    Cited Production Reviews in Chronological Order

    Collected Reviews of all productions except Heart of a Dog and The Massacre at Paris are available by subscription through the Theatre Record archive: www.theatrerecord.com/magazine/archive (Accessed: 17 August 2025).

    1990

    Arden of Faversham
    • Christy, D. Guardian, 13 August.

    • Letts, Q. Daily Telegraph, 13 August.

    • Macaulay, A. Financial Times, 13 August.

    • Robertson, N. Time Out, 15 August.

    • Wearing, K. City Limits, 16 August.

    Vassa Zheleznova
    • Billington, M. Guardian, 19 November.

    1991

    Heart of A Dog
    • Shaw, J. Northern Star, 14 February.

    • Unknown. The News (Portsmouth), 21 February.

    1992

    The Dybbuk

    1993

    Ghosts
    • Billington, M. Guardian, 14 June.

    • Ingram, M. ‘Recreating Past World of Hypocrisy’, Stratford Herald, 18 June.

    • Macaulay, A. Financial Times, 12 June.

    • Peter, J. ‘Fear Eats the Soul’, Sunday Times, 20–23 June.

    • Spencer, C. Daily Telegraph, 14 June.

    Live Like Pigs

    1994

    Rutherford and Son
    • Billington, M. Guardian, 4 June.

    • de Jongh, N. Evening Standard, 3 June, p. 7.

    • Peter, J. Sunday Times, 12 June, p. 20.

    • Taylor, P. Independent, 4 June.

    • Wardle, I. Independent on Sunday, 5 June.

    Henry VI: The Battle for the Throne

    1995

    The Machine Wreckers
    • Billington, M. Guardian, 14 August.

    • Carlson, M. (1996) ‘Katie Mitchell’s “The Machine Wreckers”’, Western European Stages, 7(3), 57–58.

    • de Jongh, N. Evening Standard, 14 August.

    • Hornby, R. The Hudson Review, p. 645.

    • Peter, J. Sunday Times, 20 August.

    2014

    The Massacre at Paris
    • Shaw, M. What’s on Stage, 28 March.

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