Brooke and more Chekhov

In reading a snippet of The Open Circle; Peter Brook's Theatre Environments, I ran across another interesting concept that we might take to heart along our Chekhov-ian journey...

The Bouffes du Nord in Paris (http://blog.atrapalo.fr/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Theatre_Des_Bouffes_du_nord.jpg) was the home to many of Peter Brook's productions. In 1981 a French language production of the Cherry Orchard was put on (originally they considered a production of The Three Sisters, but seeing as the space lent itself more to the structure and atmosphere of a house, they chose the former) and the entirety of the theatre was used as the stage/playing space. The actual attic of the theatre was used in the production, along with audience entrances and balconies/etc.

Though our production of the final act of The Three Sisters is to be most focused on the actor's approach to the material (and not so much the production value) I do find it valuable to take from this particular production's attack the idea that we should really connect with our playing space even if it is merely the smallish studio C. To know our space intimately and really make it our own both physically and mentally will be helpful to our full investment in the world of the play. As Natasha Parry said, "Even though the audience is practically on top of you, you can still see and imagine things as if they're not there." We know even now that we will inevitably be in the laps of our audience when we do perform, but if every inch of that space is ours we will fill it all with no fear of being pulled out of our world once we do have spectators.

- Jesse