The Empty Space by Peter Brook

“the fixing was the beginning of a slide towards the deadly”

“We are on the verge of a formula, an equation that reads Theatre = R r a(Repetition, representation, assistance)”

I used to watch a lot of theaters in China. My understanding of the difference between a modern theater and any other performance is that there must have exaggerated stage settings and music. However, by bringing up the concept of “the deadly theatre”, Peter Brook is making me to think about all the possibilities for stage design. One theater doesn’t have to be shown like a machine that has a fixed rule – “contact with each new audience is often a matter of luck”. It can be changed when place, time, language, and audience change. We can take advantages of these change to tell the story. We will never know which point will really touch the deep heart of the audience. But because this unknown, the stage space is full of freedom for us to explore.

Visits to a small planet by Elanor Fuchs

Putting together space, time, the natural world and the social world, elements that change and those that don’t, you are discovering the “myth.”

Remember, there is nothing in the world of a play by accident.

Become curious as each element is revealed as a player in the play. Be someone who is aroused to meaning. 

You can construct meaning in this world in many different ways. Construct it in the most inclusive way you can. There will still be more to see.

Theatre and performance are a brand new area for me. I felt lucky to read this insightful essay. It prompts to think of the play or performance as a ‘small planet’, an open space with its own geographies, cultures and systems, rather than in terms of a linear plot sequence or uncontextualized character analysis. By thinking about all the questions asked by Elanor Fuchs, I was surprised that how diverse it is to present a theatre, and how deep we can dig into the storytelling.

I was also impressed with one interesting thought, that we need to think what changes in ourself, as the imaginer of worlds. By thinking about this, I think we will be able to find the right to express ourself as the director or designer, and what’s important, to communicate with the audience.