Pure Research Archive

Pure Research number twenty-six was led by Vanessa Porteous at the Eckhardt Grammatté Hall at the University of Calgary on November 12th, 13th and 14th, 2018. This particular Pure Research session was held in association with SYMBIONT, an international artistic research symposium.

General inquiries:

What is the power of silence in the process of making theatre? Do we let thoughtful silence fall in the rehearsal room? If we did, would the work grow? What is the role of non-verbal communication in the director/actor relationship? If directors increased our skill in this area – if we talked less – would actors reveal new subtleties of expression? Would silence lead us to uncover more profound resonances for the audience?

Participants:

Director/Lead researcher: Vanessa Porteous

• Assistant to the Director/Researcher: Kathryn Smith
• Actor/Researcher (Elektra): Helen Knight
• Actor/Researcher (Chorus): Elizabeth Stepkowski
• Actor/Researcher (Orestes): Braden Griffiths
• Observer: Lara Schmitz
• Observer: Conrad Belau

Nightswimming: Brian Quirt, Brittany Ryan, and Jeff Ho