Jacques Lecoq
Encyclopedia
Jacques Pierre Lecoq born (December 15, 1921 – January 19, 1999) in Paris, was a French actor, mime
and acting instructor
.
He is most famous for his methods on physical theatre
, movement and mime that he taught at the school he founded in Paris, L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq
from 1956 until his death in 1999.
bar he came to see and to understand the geometry of movement. Movement of the body through space as is required by gymnastics was described by Lecoq as being purely abstract. He came to understand the rhythms of athletics as a kind of physical poetry that affected him strongly.
He attended a physical theatre college in 1941 where he met Jean Marie Conty, a basketball player of international caliber, and in charge of physical education in all of France. Conty's interest in the link between sport and theatre had come out of a friendship with Antonin Artaud
and Jean-Louis Barrault
, both well-known actors and directors. Conty's interests in theater would impact Lecoq, and eventually lead Lecoq to an interest in theatre.
Lecoq taught physical education for several years. He later found himself acting
and a member of the Comediens de Grenoble. This company and his work with Commedia dell'arte
in Italy
(where he lived for eight years) introduced him to ideas surrounding mime
, masks and the physicality of performance
. During this time he also performed with the actor, playwright, and clown, Dario Fo
.
He was first introduced to theatre and acting by Jacques Copeau
's daughter Marie- Therese, and her husband Jean Daste
.
In 1956, he returned to Paris to open his school, L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq
, where he spent most of his time until his death, filling in as international speaker and master class
giver for the Union of Theatres of Europe.
His training involved an emphasis on mask
s, starting with the neutral mask. The aim was that the neutral mask can aid an awareness of physical mannerisms as they get greatly emphasised to an audience whilst wearing the mask. Once a state of neutral was achieved, he would move on to work with larval masks and then half masks, gradually working towards the smallest mask in his repertoire: the clown
's red nose. Three of the principal skills that he encouraged in his students were le jeu (playfulness), complicité (togetherness) and disponsibilité (openness). Selection for the second year was based mainly on the ability to play.
He also set up le Laboratoire d'Étude du Mouvement (Laboratory for the study of movement; L.E.M. for short) in 1977. This was a separate department within the school which looked at architecture
, scenography
and stage design and its links to movement.
Mime artist
A mime artist is someone who uses mime as a theatrical medium or as a performance art, involving miming, or the acting out a story through body motions, without use of speech. In earlier times, in English, such a performer was referred to as a mummer...
and acting instructor
Acting instructor
An Acting Instructor is a person, usually well educated in theatrical arts, who teaches, or 'instructs', aspiring performers on various acting methods. One example is the French mime artist Jacques Lecoq, whose methodology has inspired several theatre practitioners including Stephen Berkoff....
.
He is most famous for his methods on physical theatre
Physical theatre
Physical theatre is used to describe any mode of performance that pursues storytelling or drama through primarily and secondarily physical and mental means. There are several quite distinct but indistinct traditions of performance which all describe themselves using the term "physical theatre",...
, movement and mime that he taught at the school he founded in Paris, L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq
L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq
L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq is a school of physical theatre situated in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. Founded in 1956 by Jacques Lecoq, the school is a professional two-year course...
from 1956 until his death in 1999.
Life
Jacques Pierre Lecoq came to theatre through an interest in sports. He began gymnastics at seventeen and through work on the parallel bars and the horizontalbar he came to see and to understand the geometry of movement. Movement of the body through space as is required by gymnastics was described by Lecoq as being purely abstract. He came to understand the rhythms of athletics as a kind of physical poetry that affected him strongly.
He attended a physical theatre college in 1941 where he met Jean Marie Conty, a basketball player of international caliber, and in charge of physical education in all of France. Conty's interest in the link between sport and theatre had come out of a friendship with Antonin Artaud
Antonin Artaud
Antoine Marie Joseph Artaud, more well-known as Antonin Artaud was a French playwright, poet, actor and theatre director...
and Jean-Louis Barrault
Jean-Louis Barrault
Jean-Louis Barrault was a French actor, director and mime artist, training that served him well when he portrayed the 19th-century mime Jean-Gaspard Deburau in Marcel Carné's 1945 film Les Enfants du Paradis .Jean-Louis Barrault studied with Charles Dullin in whose troupe he acted...
, both well-known actors and directors. Conty's interests in theater would impact Lecoq, and eventually lead Lecoq to an interest in theatre.
Lecoq taught physical education for several years. He later found himself acting
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
and a member of the Comediens de Grenoble. This company and his work with Commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte is a form of theatre characterized by masked "types" which began in Italy in the 16th century, and was responsible for the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios. The closest translation of the name is "comedy of craft"; it is shortened...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(where he lived for eight years) introduced him to ideas surrounding mime
Mime
The word mime is used to refer to a mime artist who uses a theatrical medium or performance art involving the acting out of a story through body motions without use of speech.Mime may also refer to:* Mime, an alternative word for lip sync...
, masks and the physicality of performance
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
. During this time he also performed with the actor, playwright, and clown, Dario Fo
Dario Fo
Dario Fo is an Italian satirist, playwright, theater director, actor and composer. His dramatic work employs comedic methods of the ancient Italian commedia dell'arte, a theatrical style popular with the working classes. He currently owns and operates a theatre company with his wife, actress...
.
He was first introduced to theatre and acting by Jacques Copeau
Jacques Copeau
Jacques Copeau was an influential French theatre director, producer, actor, and dramatist. Before he founded his famous Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in Paris, he wrote theater reviews for several Parisian journals, worked at the Georges Petit Gallery where he organized exhibits of artists' works...
's daughter Marie- Therese, and her husband Jean Daste
Jean Dasté
Jean Dasté, born Jean Georges Gustave Dasté, was an actor and theatre director....
.
In 1956, he returned to Paris to open his school, L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq
L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq
L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq is a school of physical theatre situated in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. Founded in 1956 by Jacques Lecoq, the school is a professional two-year course...
, where he spent most of his time until his death, filling in as international speaker and master class
Master class
A master class is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also painting, drama, or any of the arts....
giver for the Union of Theatres of Europe.
Teaching Style
Lecoq aimed at training his actors in ways that encouraged them to investigate ways of performance that suited them best. His training was aimed at nurturing the creativity of the performer, as opposed to giving them a codified set of skills. As students stayed with Lecoq's school longer, he accomplished this through teaching in the style of "via negativa," never telling the students how to do what was "right." The goal was to encourage the student to keep trying new avenues of creative expression.His training involved an emphasis on mask
Mask
A mask is an article normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance or entertainment. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes...
s, starting with the neutral mask. The aim was that the neutral mask can aid an awareness of physical mannerisms as they get greatly emphasised to an audience whilst wearing the mask. Once a state of neutral was achieved, he would move on to work with larval masks and then half masks, gradually working towards the smallest mask in his repertoire: the clown
Clown
Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...
's red nose. Three of the principal skills that he encouraged in his students were le jeu (playfulness), complicité (togetherness) and disponsibilité (openness). Selection for the second year was based mainly on the ability to play.
He also set up le Laboratoire d'Étude du Mouvement (Laboratory for the study of movement; L.E.M. for short) in 1977. This was a separate department within the school which looked at architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, scenography
Scenography
-Usage:Whilst also aligned with the professional practice of the scenographer, it is important to distinguish the individual elements that comprise the 'design' of a performance event from the term 'scenography' which is as an artistic perspective concerning the visual, experiential and spatial...
and stage design and its links to movement.
Influence
Among his many students were:- MummenschanzMummenschanzMummenschanz is a Swiss pantomime troupe who perform in a surreal mask- and prop-oriented style. Founded in 1972 by Bernie Schürch, Andres Bossard , and the Italian-American Floriana Frassetto, the group became popular for its play with bizarre masks and forms, light and shadow, and their subtle...
, an internationally known Swiss theater company - Colin Gee, a New York based, non-traditional actor, director, dancer, mime, and former Cirque du SoleilCirque du SoleilCirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
Clown - Gillian LynneGillian LynneGillian Barbara Lynne , CBE, born , is a British ballerina, dancer, actor, theatre director, television director and choreographer noted for her popular theatre choreography associated with the iconic musicals Cats and the current longest running show in Broadway history, The Phantom of the Opera.-...
, performer, director and choreographer - Julie TaymorJulie TaymorJulie Taymor is an American director of theater, opera and film. Taymor's work has received many accolades from critics, and she has earned two Tony Awards out of four nominations, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design, an Emmy Award and an Academy Award nomination for Original Song...
, director and choreographer - Steven BerkoffSteven BerkoffSteven Berkoff is an English actor, writer and director. Best known for his performance as General Orlov in the James Bond film Octopussy, he is typically cast in villanous roles, such as Lt...
, theatre director, genius - Ariane MnouchkineAriane MnouchkineAriane Mnouchkine is a world-renowned French stage director. She founded the Parisian avant-garde stage ensemble Théâtre du Soleil in 1964. She has written and directed 1789 and Molière , and in 1989, she directed La Nuit Miraculeuse...
, founder of Théâtre du SoleilThéâtre du SoleilLe Théâtre du Soleil is a Parisian avant-garde stage ensemble founded by Ariane Mnouchkine, Philippe Léotard and fellow students of the L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq in 1964 as a collective of theatre artists. Le Théâtre du Soleil is located at La Cartoucherie, a former munitions... - Simon McBurneySimon McBurneySimon Montagu McBurney, OBE is an English actor, writer and director. He is the founder and artistic director of Théâtre de Complicité in England, now called Complicite.-Early life:...
and Annabel Arden, founding members of Theatre de CompliciteCompliciteThe British theatre company Complicite was founded in 1983 by Simon McBurney, Annabel Arden, and Marcello Magni. Its original name was Théâtre de Complicité. "The Company's inimitable style of visual and devised theatre [has] an emphasis on strong, corporeal, poetic and surrealist image supporting...
met at Lecoq's school - Philippe GaulierPhilippe GaulierPhilippe Gaulier is founder of École Philippe Gaulier, a theatre school located in Sceaux, near Paris. He trained with Jacques Lecoq from 1965 - 67. Then became a teacher at École Jacques Lecoq from 1976 - 80. Gaulier is also a playwright and has worked as a clown and theatre director...
, who runs a school based on Lecoq's principles in Paris - Geoffrey RushGeoffrey RushGeoffrey Roy Rush is an Australian actor and film producer. He is one of the few people who has won the "Triple Crown of Acting": an Academy Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy Award. He has won one Academy Award for acting , three British Academy Film Awards , two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen...
, actor - Isla FisherIsla FisherIsla Lang Fisher is an actress and author. She began acting on Australian television, on the short-lived soap opera Paradise Beach before playing Shannon Reed on the soap opera Home and Away...
, comedy actress - Nancy Gold, clown and theatre instructor
- Avner the EccentricAvner the EccentricAvner the Eccentric is an American vaudeville performer, clown, mime, juggler, and sleight of hand magician. He played the title role in the 1985 film The Jewel of the Nile...
, performer - Gates McFaddenGates McFaddenCheryl Gates McFadden usually credited as Gates McFadden, is an American actress and choreographer. She is best known for portraying the character of Dr...
, actress, choreographer - Karina KrawczykKarina KrawczykKarina Krawczyk is a German actress and occasionally works as a fashion model.-Acting career:Karina Krawczyk speaks Polish, German, English and French fluently. She studied acting at the theater school Jacques Lecoq in Paris, France and with Ariane Mnouchkine at the „Théâtre du soleil“...
, actress - Giovanni Fusetti, who runs a school inspired by Lecoq's pedagogy in Florence, Italy.
- Ronlin Foreman, clown, actor, School Director, Dell'Arte International School of Physical TheatreDell'Arte International School of Physical TheatreThe Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre is located in Northern California in the town of Blue Lake, California in Humboldt County, California near the major population centers of Eureka and Arcata...
in Blue Lake, CA (USA)
Educational Programs
- l'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq - now run byand teacher (1998-1999) at the Lecoq's School
- Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre, Blue Lake, CA (USA) Founded in 1975 by Leqoq's collaborator, Carlo Mazzone-Clementi. Full time professional and MFA training.