ARTISTIC and METHODOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS for a THIRD MILLENNIUM TEATRICO GROUP
January 2000
by Emanuele Faina
ELEUSIS is a Group.
A Group of Men and Women.
And what binds the Group is Style.
And Style, ultimately, is an idea, an aim.
Something that is not to be touched, but to be felt.
A Group of Men and Women.
And what binds the Group is Style.
And Style, ultimately, is an idea, an aim.
Something that is not to be touched, but to be felt.
In a world based on relativism, where any explanation is considered to be valid only if it is tied to material reality, I will not deal with conceptual explanations, convinced, as I am, of the importance of Intuition.
And those who intuit, experience. If they have the Urgency to do it.
And who experiences, understands. If he has the Will to do it.
The Style of the Group, although based on individuality, is the opposite of individualism.
Actually, it is the denial of expressive egoism.
And who experiences, understands. If he has the Will to do it.
The Style of the Group, although based on individuality, is the opposite of individualism.
Actually, it is the denial of expressive egoism.
The individual-actor's education is a slow and ineffable process that always begins fumbling, and which suddenly blooms like a miracle awaited and that needs, then, attention and care.
It is not a matter of chance. It requires daily, strenuous and constant work. According to the Style of the Group, this process takes place in the Community, thanks to the presence and help of the individual components that contribute, according to their preparation and awareness, to the evolution of the others. |
In the idea of Community there are no "leading men" or "young actors", but only people who want to grow, evolve, research. In the idea of community, there is no "hazing": the last one works side by side with the "elders".
Those who have been part of the project the longest, have the duty to guide and help the youngest to understand the training to be implemented, the exercises to be performed and the studies to be undertaken. The elders must be available to provide clarifications and to support the youngest in times of trouble.
Those who have been part of the project the longest, have the duty to guide and help the youngest to understand the training to be implemented, the exercises to be performed and the studies to be undertaken. The elders must be available to provide clarifications and to support the youngest in times of trouble.
In a world ever more used to think "through images", and not through the connection of thoughts; in a world increasingly linked to virtual situations and less to sensible communication, a Group, in its "Aristotelian obviousness", may come as quite a shock.
Theatre is a fire that consumes the undecided, the embarrassed, the time-wasters. Theatre is not a "purpose", it is a "way". Making theatre is never a right! It is a duty, if anything, that is granted to few: to those who have the courage and the will to always be aware of theirselves; to those who do not let their soul sleep; to those who never stop to look back at what they have built, aware that it is nothing. An essential nothing. |
How many feelings do we forget as time goes by? How many joys and sorrows have we felt, for reasons that today seem futile? How many anxieties and euphoria for expectations that, after years, appear even silly? Would we be able to recognize the marvel we felt as children? The ability to sense wonder, to lose ourselves playing, to disregard rules and conventions, giving free rein to the imagination; do we still know what it is?
Even so, we have experienced and perceived in depth those feelings.
Even so, we have experienced and perceived in depth those feelings.
The Style of the Group envisages the construction of something bigger than the "single self", something more important than the need to "emerge", to "be seen", to "get noticed", to "be remembered". The Style of the Group has, as its first objective, true e-ducation.
E-ducation looks forward to drawing out from Man his real abilities, his innate aptitudes and his talents.
Everyone knows that to run a hundred meters in ten seconds you have to train for several hours a day; many believe, wrongly, that to think and feel emotions you do not need training
E-ducation looks forward to drawing out from Man his real abilities, his innate aptitudes and his talents.
Everyone knows that to run a hundred meters in ten seconds you have to train for several hours a day; many believe, wrongly, that to think and feel emotions you do not need training
But what is everyday life for those who have chosen Theatre?
|
Choosing, as Style, Theatre means knowing that every choice involves a surrender.
Who chooses, as Style, Theatre, should know that he will not have time for himself, because his self develops and takes place within Theatre. His free time is full of Theatre.
And then ... you realize that you are not alone. Others have made choices similar to yours. And then a Group is born.
Choosing, as Style, Theatre means to rediscover the forces that are in us, perhaps in depth, perhaps forced into bound areas, perhaps beaten by the existence and by our inexperience.
But there are! In each of us. Even in those who do not believe in it. How can you not see them? Choosing, as Style, Theatre means believing that beyond the threshold of extreme fatigue there is the goal: the beginning of a really different path.
Still work therefore, and less and less space for everyday life.
And you realize how unreasonable it is to regard yourself as a part untied and separate from the rest. The Group becomes a single body, in which a lack or a defection is an amputation.
Who chooses, as Style, Theatre, should know that he will not have time for himself, because his self develops and takes place within Theatre. His free time is full of Theatre.
And then ... you realize that you are not alone. Others have made choices similar to yours. And then a Group is born.
Choosing, as Style, Theatre means to rediscover the forces that are in us, perhaps in depth, perhaps forced into bound areas, perhaps beaten by the existence and by our inexperience.
But there are! In each of us. Even in those who do not believe in it. How can you not see them? Choosing, as Style, Theatre means believing that beyond the threshold of extreme fatigue there is the goal: the beginning of a really different path.
Still work therefore, and less and less space for everyday life.
And you realize how unreasonable it is to regard yourself as a part untied and separate from the rest. The Group becomes a single body, in which a lack or a defection is an amputation.
What is needed is Will.
It is a Path. It is a Style. |
A Group needs the cohesion of its elements just as a body needs all its limbs. When a limb suffers, the whole body suffers. When a member of the Group is missing, the whole Group suffers.
It is the idea of community. In the community, everyone no longer belongs only to himself, but becomes a common and collective heritage. And it's not about flattening! On the contrary, it is the maximum exaltation of the individual, who gives himself to the others "in toto", unreservedly.
He gives his evolution, his culture, his preparation, his feelings to others, who, like him, can perceive, welcome and give back this immense gift that is the enthusiasm of sharing. This is why the men and women who make up the Group must be chosen carefully, without haste, never under pressure or urgent needs. Careful selection must precede any new reception. The men and women who ask to share the path must be confronted with the difficulties they will find, without feeding false illusions or proposing mirages.
It is indeed worthwhile that one of the components is chosen to examine the applications for admission. One element, the most balanced of the Group, must assume responsibility for taking care of new arrivals, guiding them, and acting as a point of reference.
This Theatre speaks to Man, about Humanity, for those who want and can listen to it.
Nothing will be lost. As long as there are people who dare to make the most difficult choices.
It is the idea of community. In the community, everyone no longer belongs only to himself, but becomes a common and collective heritage. And it's not about flattening! On the contrary, it is the maximum exaltation of the individual, who gives himself to the others "in toto", unreservedly.
He gives his evolution, his culture, his preparation, his feelings to others, who, like him, can perceive, welcome and give back this immense gift that is the enthusiasm of sharing. This is why the men and women who make up the Group must be chosen carefully, without haste, never under pressure or urgent needs. Careful selection must precede any new reception. The men and women who ask to share the path must be confronted with the difficulties they will find, without feeding false illusions or proposing mirages.
It is indeed worthwhile that one of the components is chosen to examine the applications for admission. One element, the most balanced of the Group, must assume responsibility for taking care of new arrivals, guiding them, and acting as a point of reference.
This Theatre speaks to Man, about Humanity, for those who want and can listen to it.
Nothing will be lost. As long as there are people who dare to make the most difficult choices.