Zarrilli, Phillip

Practitioner

Phillip Zarrilli was appointed Professor of Drama at the University of Exeter in 2000. Prior to joining the faculty at Exeter, he was Professor of Theatre, Folklore, and South Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has also taught at University of California, LA, Northwestern University, New York University, and the University of Surrey.

He is internationally known for training actors using a psychophysical process combining yoga and the Asian martial arts, and as a director. His recent productions of Samuel Beckett’s plays in Los Angeles and Austria have won considerable critical acclaim.

His many publications include Kathakali Dance-Drama (2000), Acting (Re)considered (2002), Psychophysical Acting (2009) and, as co-author, Theatre Histories: An Introduction (2006).

Image: Photo by xyz

Structured Improvisation - Impro Maids - Image Asset Thumbnail — Video

Improvisation on Genet, from Psychophysical Acting

Zarrilli’s Psychophysical Acting methodology focuses on the relationship between the actor-as-doer and what the actor does. It (re)examines in practice and theory a psychophysical approach to acting.

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Interview with Phillip Zarrilli, from Psychophysical Acting

Zarrilli’s Psychophysical Acting methodology focuses on the relationship between the actor-as-doer and what the actor does. It (re)examines in practice and theory a psychophysical approach to acting.

Appendix - Kathakali Scene - Image Asset Thumbnail — Video

Introduction to Kathakali Dance-Drama

Videotaped in Kerala, India in 1993 and 1995, this film explains Kathakali's basic make-up types, the context of performance, the process and techniques of training, and performance preliminaries.

Pre-performative Training - Kalarippayattu - Image Asset Thumbnail — Video

Kalari Training, from Psychophysical Acting

Zarrilli’s Psychophysical Acting methodology focuses on the relationship between the actor-as-doer and what the actor does. It (re)examines in practice and theory a psychophysical approach to acting.

Video

Rehearsing Beckett, from Psychophysical Acting

Zarrilli’s Psychophysical Acting methodology focuses on the relationship between the actor-as-doer and what the actor does. It (re)examines in practice and theory a psychophysical approach to acting.

Performance Case Studies - Beckett Project - Asset Image Thumbnail — Video

The Beckett Project, from Psychophysical Acting

Zarrilli’s Psychophysical Acting methodology focuses on the relationship between the actor-as-doer and what the actor does. It (re)examines in practice and theory a psychophysical approach to acting.

Video

The Killing of Kirmira (Kathakali Dance-Drama)

This video is a complete performance document of the approximately three and a half hour performance of a Kathakali play, The Killing of Kirmira.

Rekha Tandon Thumbnail — Practitioner

Tandon, Rekha

Rekha Tandon is a performer, choreographer and researcher trained in Odissi, one India’s eight classical dance forms. She is Artistic Director of Dance Routes, which reworks Odissi in modern ways.

Kathakali list — Category

Kathakali

Kathakali dance-drama is a distinctive genre of South Asian performance which developed during the 16th and 17th centuries in the Malayalam-speaking coastal region of south-west India, Kerala State.

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Puppetry

In performance, what separates puppets from art objects, or curios hung on a domestic or art gallery wall, is the puppeteer or performer’s ability to manipulate the object and thus bring it to ‘life’.

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