Physical Theatre Performance Analysation

“Audiences today want a real experience in their live performance, because they can get great script based entertainment at home, through various new media sources. Traditional theatre, which appeals on a mental, and hopefully also emotional level, has not been enough to compete with other media, and audiences have been declining. Physical theatre, by contrast appeals to the audience on a physical and emotional level, providing a much more immediate experience than traditional theatre” ~ (Artmedia Publishing in Zen Zen Zo’s “The Tempest” Teacher’s Notes)

“…Then you realise that theatre is a more personal experience.” (Stephen Atkins, Dante’s Inferno Director) After viewing Zen Zen Zo’s physical theatre reincarnation of the philosophical poem, Inferno by Dante Alighieri , it was clear that the combinations of various dramatic languages ultimately enhanced both the mood and symbolism of this live performance. These dramatic languages include the utilisation and management of physical composition, complicité, space, language and movement dramatic languages to create and enhance both mood and symbol.

This particular performance guided the audience through the literature to experience the different stages of purgatory performed at the Old Museum. This successfully provided both the audience and the cast with intimate theatre experiences. In order to successfully achieve a powerful performance and obtain this experience, physical composition was clearly utilised.

In Dante’s Inferno, the manipulation and management of physical composition, particularly in the development of this production, provided the audience with an intimate experience. Physical composition refers to the way in which someone or something is composed. Zen Zen Zo has excelled in this dramatic language, particularly through the use of music, movement and drama. To achieve physical composition, the ensemble must recognise and maintain spatial relationships with the architecture,