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KING LEAR WORKSHOP

BUCAREST –  Jon Dalles Theater - Geo Barton Foundation 28 - 30 November 2016

"The weight of this sad time we must obey; Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say. The oldest hath borne most: we that are young
Shall never see so much, nor live so long." W. Shakespeare 

 

The workshop, addressed to professional actors, seeks the refinement of the basic acting techniques, (vocal technique, movement and acting) through practical exercises in Italian. These exercises will study:


a) The deep analysis of the text;
b) The definition of the relationships between the characters;
c) The use of rhythm in the Italian language;
d) The re-accentuation of the syllables for expressive use in the spoken voice; 
e) The use of vocality;
f) The poetic word;
g) The emotional and affective memory; 
h) Physical and vocal training. 

"With this interpretative research workshop, I would like to access to very complex situations and emotions through the means of the theater, trying to get as close as possible to a "truth" of other eras, far from the styles and fashions of the current acting methods. It is an "introduction" to a work on various levels. Lear is a legendary king of Britain, who lived several centuries before Christ, close to the old age, it decides to divide his kingdom among his daughters and their husbands, while maintaining his royal authority. It is the tragedy of the fathers unable to understand their children, fathers blind in front of the adulation of the children that want to deceive them and blind in front of the devotion of their children that instead love them. Lear will pay his "political errors" with a price: He will not recognize the love and sincerity of Cordelia and he will entrust the power in the wrong hands with destructive effects. Until then Lear was able to dictate laws and regulations. Suddenly, his life is turned upside down by an experience which puts him far from the ruler's point of view and near the point of view of the dominated. Lear takes refuge in a sort of "second childhood" that gives him an innocence that transforms the actions of the two daughters, Goneril and Regan, even crueler, and when he finally starts to tell the truth, he is considered a crazy old man. Many elements of this text remind us of our society and its questionable habits: It is a very punctual analysis of the Power and its effects on the human psyche. The distorting lens of the ego and of the power blind the eyes of the King and drives him to a total emotional isolation. Here, I intend to work exclusively on the text and on its interpretation, trying to approach on tiptoe to the heart of the mystery of this marvelous play, comparing myself, with humility, to the great interpretations of the past that must not be forgotten or repudiated. 
In this path, the madness, the innocence, the research, the energy, the sweetness and the determination of the youngster lead us. "


Daniele Salvo 

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