Emalene Hickman 0803198 Assessment Blog 1

Many people consider ‘physical theatre’ to be simply abstract movement, but it is much more advanced than that, it includes characters and the interactions between them creating relationships and narrative, although, not as necessarily linear or obvious as conventional theatre. Callery describes ‘physical theatre’ as “companies whose work has a strong visual style which focuses attention on the physicality of the performers” (Callery, 2001, pg.6). This is obvious in works from companies such as Jasmin Vardimon, Frantic Assembly and DV8.

Distinctive attributes of ‘physical theatre’ include uniformed, acrobatic or slapstick movements without forgetting profound music and a lack of spoken word. The ideas we have established as ‘process and performance’ students are supported here as we have learnt numerous physical activities which look visually striking and have began to use music which adds another prominent level to the piece. ‘Physical theatre’ requires more from an audience member than most other forms of conventional theatre. Pieces tend to stem from an issue or dilemma that a company feel needs addressing; DV8 for example explore a lot of relationships and homosexuality. The way in which these issues are raised are less obvious than in traditional theatre, the signs are layered up and over-lapped to create a web that the audience have to try and untangle.

However, “Physical theatre is not codifiable. The term is applied to such a diverse range of work that it has become virtually undefinable” (Callery, 2001, pg.5). Each and every company and piece of work that is considered ‘physical theatre’ is so distinguished that it must be treated in its own individual and unique way. Some companies create complex routines with startling physical feats where others choose to concentrate more on movement as a means of expression. We have focussed more on creating character with emotional stimulus’ to create clear narratives as we are in the early stages of our education of ‘physical theatre’.


A hybrid is defined as “anything derived by a mixture of components or characteristics from two distinctly different sources” by dictionary.net(http://www.dictionary.net/hybrid). ‘Hybrid’ performance styles take two noticeably different styles and combine them to create a new genre which has similarities to both of its predecessors but is fundamentally its own genre. Essentially ‘physical theatre’ stems from dance and theatre, combining the two to create a new genre which incorporates elements of both. It Combines physicality, technique, lighting, sound effects and large stages to create a ‘new’ style.

To say that ‘physical theatre’ is a ‘hybrid’ genre would be technically correct as the influences of dance and avant-garde theatre on the style are unmistakable. It takes elements such as chance choreography from dance; throwing movements together in a random order and seeing what looks best. Using a movement to portray a specific emotion is common in ‘physical theatre’, for example, using a fall to express that the character is giving up; or a literal ‘jump-for-joy’. Theatrical influences upon the style include characterisation and emotion memory to inspire such movement. The complicated stories and issues addressed in the works also comes from the drama practitioners as they are used to a stimulus driving them to create potent work.

“Since the 1980s the term ‘physical theatre’ has been used to describe work of a hybrid nature where dance, text, design and sound collaborate to support a choreographic intention” (ed.Mock, 2000, pg.51). Combining these techniques allows a narrative to be created from what would have previously been a pure dance piece. The dance and theatre languages become unified to create a new performance genre that encourages personal interpretation and individual thought. The complex storylines are aided by clever design and thought-provoking scenography to captivate its audience.


Lloyd Newson’s company DV8 are a physical theatre company whose work largely focuses on relationships and emotions. The performers are asked to use their own emotions to create a character to bring a raw edge to the performance which is unlike any other. When the company began in 1986 they were considered very controversial as they were doing things never seen before. “DV8 Physical Theatre's work is about taking risks, aesthetically and physically, about breaking down the barriers between dance and theatre and, above all, communicating ideas and feelings clearly and unpretentiously” (http://www.dv8.co.uk/about_dv8/artistic_policy). The name DV8 being particularly potent here and they were deviating from the traditional norms. DV8 mixed drama and dance to such an extent that the boundaries between the two became so blurred that the genre ‘physical theatre’ was created.

Most of DV8’s work is considered episodic. It has a narrative but it is not straight-forward; their work tends to be based on one idea or issue and the story comes from that rather than the other way around. The performers are given a stimulus and experiment with creating movement with an emotional intention. The intensely physical style always in the forefront of the creators minds as they portray inner turmoil through exasperated body movements. The directors mould the masses of pure movement into a coherent plot once the storyline becomes apparent through observation. This is one of the main reasons DV8 focus on relationships so heavily, because relationships on stage ‘just happen’. This way of working seemed ‘back-to-front’ to many people but it created a very unique look on movement and theatre.





Callery, D. (2000) Through the Body. London. Nick Hearn Books.

Dictionary.net (2009) Define:Hybrid. [Accessed 03/02/2010] Available at:

DV8 (2010) Artistic Policy. [Accessed 28/02/2010] Available at:

Mock , R (Ed.) (2000) Performing Processes: Creating Live Performance. UK. Intellect Books.