The Viewpoints is a technique of improvisation that grew out of the
postmodern dance world. It was first articulated by choreographer Mary
Overlie, who broke down the two dominant issues performers deal
with--space and time--into six categories. Since that time, directors
Anne Bogart and Tina Landau have expanded her notions and adapted them
for actors to function together spontaneously and intuitively and to
generate bold, theatrical work.
The Viewpoints are a set of names given to certain principles of
movement through time and space--they constitute a language for talking
about what happens on stage. Coupling this with Composition, which is
the practice of selecting and arranging the separate components of
theatrical language into a cohesive work of art, provides theatre
artists with an important new tool for creating and understanding their
art form.
Primarily intended for the many theatre artists who, in the last several
years, have become intrigued with Viewpoints yet have had no single
source to refer to in their investigations. It can also be used by
anyone with a general interest in collaboration and the creative
process, whether in art, business or daily life.
Anne Bogart is Artistic Director of the SITI Company, which she founded
with Japanese director Tadashi Suzuki in 1992. She is the recipient of
two OBIE Awards and a Bessie Award, and is an associate professor at
Columbia University. Her recent works include Alice's Adventures;
Bobrauschenbergamerica; Small Lives, Big Dreams; Marathon Dancing; and
The Baltimore Waltz.
Tina Landau, noted director and playwright, whose original work includes
Space (Time magazine 10 Best), Dream True (with composer Ricky Ian
Gordon) and Floyd Collins (with composer Adam Guettel), which received
the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical, an OBIE Award and seven Drama
Desk nominations. She has been an ensemble member of the Steppenwolf
Theatre Company since 1997.
