French theatre scholar Patrice Pavis conducted a theory and practice workshop at TNUA in June, leading students through discussions on theories and rehearsals of plays to explore the meaning of texts.
Prof. Pavis began his workshop – from June 25 to 30 – with a lecture on the significance of rehearsing newly created plays written in Chinese/French. He explained the concept of mise en scene, as well as movements, narratives, story-telling, performing styles and figures.
Prof. Pavis cited German modern dancer Rudolf von Laban's concept of four factors (flow, weight, time and space) and Japanese Noh theatre master Motokiyo Zeami's ordering principle of introduction, development and denouement to illustrate his views on performance.
He used "figure," rather than "personage," to explain characters and the presence of directors in contemporary theatre.
He also pointed out various theatre styles, ranging from the Bauhaus school, Expressionism, Symbolism, Naturalism to Realism, and explained how one should choose a style to adequately present the meaning of the text.
During the workshop, Prof. Pavis showed how students, through their body movements, could sense the space, figure, movements and rhythm of the mise en scene, and how they could analyze the play's narrative, structure and meaning to gain a deep understanding of the dramaturgy.
Prof. Pavis was always able to show performable ways for the students' immature plays.
He encouraged students to trust their "instincts of creativity" in the face of the script, making assumptions, contemplating its meaning and staging it.