Photo: Konstanze Meindl
English / Deutsch

Human to Human Interactionability

This course offers an introduction to physical interaction with the partner that is so important for lively and interesting acting. From eye contact to ‘speaking into the partner’ and ‘acting in the partner as an extended self’ to the high-action happenings between two colliding human balance systems, we will explore ways in which actors can actively incorporate these artistic aspects into their work. We work on the development of artistic individuality via the means of interactionability: We practice techniques how to avoid the mutual reductions to uniform and therefore boring low-risk levels that so often happen in artistic partner play. The course is completely devoid of hollow theatrical phrases such as ‘engaging with your partner’; instead, we understand human interaction as a socio-sensorimotor skill that can be learnt in the course of better self-organisation. We work along simple cybernetic models that contribute to a cognitive understanding of the practice to such an extent that it can later be transferred to one’s own work situations and applied there independently, even with play partners who have not been trained for this.

“With what I’ve learnt from Anne, I can say that I’m quite well equipped to work with people I don’t know and maybe even people who don’t have a plan for how to approach scenes with physical contact.”
“What I liked most about your lessons is that you broke down the whole ‘mysticism’ that surrounds art in particular.”

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