The Decroux Sourcebook

Thomas Leabhart is an actor, director, writer and teacher who worked, studied and performed with Étienne Decroux. He has published numerous articles on mime and theatre, as well as two books: Modern and Post-Modern Mime (Macmillan 1989) and Etienne Decroux (Routledge, 2007). Franc Chamberlain teaches Drama and Theatre Studies at University College Cork, Ireland, and is Visiting Professor in Performance Studies and Creative Practice at the University of Northampton UK. He is the author of Michael Chekhov (Routledge 2004) and co-editor of Jacques Lecoq in the British Theatre (Routledge 2002).

Part 1: Introduction 1. Editors’ introduction 2. Edward Gordon Craig: ‘At Last a Creator in the Theatre from the Theatre’ 3. Eugenio Barba: ‘The Hidden Master’ Part 2: Words of Decroux A: Revolt 4. ‘Corporeal Mime and Pantomime’ 5. ‘The Method’ 6. ‘From the personality…’ 7. 'The autobiography’ 8. ‘Bodily Presence’ B: A New School 9. ‘Creating a Mime Play’ 10. An Imaginary Interview (a) ‘On the Origins of Mime and the Development of a Worldview’ a1. The Origin of Mime a2. Theatre and Commerce a3. Copeau, Dullin, Jouvet, Artaud a4. Mime and Politics a5. Mime: An Art for our time and the future? (b) ‘On the Definition of Mime’ b1. Mime as the Essence of Theatre b2. What is the Nature of Mime? b3. Mime and Dance b4. Mime and Objects b5. The Key Principles of Technique b6. The Importance of the Mask b7. Mime and Music b8. The Seahorse C: From Words on Mime 11. Sources 11.1. …originates in the Vieux-Colombier 11.2. Gordon Craig 11.3. Autobiography relative to the genesis of corporeal mime 11.4. Doctrinal Manifesto 12. Theatre and Mime 12.1. My Definition of Theatre 12.2. Before Being Complete, Art Must Be.