‘Taming of the impulse’: on The Wooster Group's acting techniques and methodologies

Abstract

Konstantin Stanislavsky spent his life looking for creative techniques to tame the actor's inspiration. Stanislavsky conceived his acting system to give the actor tools to control his/her stage presence, to be able to manipulate his/her impulses and spontaneity, and so to avoid becoming too familiar with the physical, emotional, and intellectual patterns of the actor/character's actions on stage. The American avant-garde theatre company The Wooster Group's and its artistic director Liz LeCompte's desire to create a new system of performative devices that could liberate the actor from the necessity to ‘feel’, ‘sympathise’, or ‘transform into a character’ on stage can be traced back to the same principles. This article argues that although the group rejects any theatrical heritage, in its members' wish to ‘simply do things on stage’ the company engages with Stanislavsky's preoccupation to keep his actors busy on stage, i.e. to stage the actor's Self within the designed score of physical actions and impulses. The Wooster Group's practice also prepares the cognitive turn in today's acting pedagogy: by forcing its members to be pragmatic or functional about their on-stage behaviour, the company is able to provide the impression of the performers' tamed spontaneity, inspiration, and impulse on stage.