Tim Crouch's 'An Oak Tree' revolutionizes the theatre experience by requiring actors to perform without any prior knowledge of the script. Highlighting the limitations of conventional actor training, Crouch emphasizes the importance of unpredictability in performances. Each show features a new, unsuspecting actor who must navigate a story involving grief and conversation between a father and the driver who caused his daughter's death. This approach, embraced by notable actors like Toby Jones and Frances McDormand, fosters trust and spontaneity, allowing performers to explore their vulnerabilities on stage.
A lot of actor training is about holding focus within the stage and putting the audience into a receiving role, says Crouch. I used to go to pubs and bitch about it.
The one basic requirement is that the actor arrives at the theatre oblivious. They must have never seen the play, nor read the script, and be willing to stand on stage with no idea what will happen over the course of the evening.
Part of the appeal for [Toby Jones] was the opportunity to go on a journey with Tim and lean into the unexpected. In a way, it is about submission of control - it is very moving; there's quite a lot to take in.
When I started acting as a kid, there was so much ensemble work, and it was about trust, [Susan Wokoma] says.
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