Grand Guignol devised piece
Directed by Maria Bates
Audition workshop: Sunday 24th May 6-10pm
Performances: Tuesday 20th to Saturday 24th October 2009, Prompt Corner
Do you have a talent for horror?
The audition will consist of a one-off, 4-hour workshop that will end with each group performing a short devised piece that has been created during the audition, inspired by games and exercises especially designed to promote an organic way of working. The theme of the workshop is 'Behind Closed Doors'. Please don't be shy, come along and join the fun.
I will be directing an experimental devised piece that will be approximately 1 hour long on the theme of Grand Guignol....mawahahaha!!
This will be a very new and exciting way of working for SLT and it may seem a long way off but due to the nature of the project it will mean starting early and working with a very dedicated team of actors. There will then be a workshop once a week for the members of the cast until the official rehearsals begin.
The workshops will be open to all adult members and youth members aged 16+
...oh, and this is not going to be a play for the faint hearted!!! Grins wickedly......
So what is Grand Guignol?
As used today, the term 'Grand Guignol' (pronounced Grahn Geen-yol') refers to any dramatic entertainment that deals with macabre subject matter and features graphic scenes of horror. It is derived from Le Theatre du Grand Guignol, the name of the Parisian theatre that horrified audiences for over sixty years.
The theatre was founded in 1897 by Oscar Metenier as an extension of the naturalist movement, which had been popularised by André Antoine's Theatre Libre.
A typical evening at the Grand Guignol Theatre might consist of five or six short plays, ranging from crime dramas to bawdy farces but the staple of the Grand Guignol repertoire was the horror play, which inevitably featured eye-gouging, throat-slashing, acid-throwing, or some other equally grisly climax.
Over the years, and under the direction of several different managers, the Grand Guignol theatre flourished, becoming one of the most popular tourist attractions in Paris.
Despite the fact that the Grand Guignol has fallen into relative obscurity, it has had a profound influence on the art of horror performance and special effects in theatre ever since.
For more details, please contact Maria Bates, Director
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