Physical Theatre: Its Possibilities and Limits

Physical Theatre: Its Possibilities and Limits

A Conversation with Tushar Pandey, Ashwath Bhatt and Vivek Vijayakumaran

Moderated by Anmol Vellani

Physical theatre communicates primarily, though not solely, through the language of gestures, facial expressions and movement. The exception is mime, which is non-verbal by definition. 

In this session, three theatre artists will speak about what attracted them to physical theatre and describe the nature of their involvement in the teaching and practice of this stylised form of performance. As their work as directors and actors has also extended beyond physical theatre, they will reflect on the reasons for their divergent artistic choices. 

Physical theatre has many strengths. Most notably, it can overcome language barriers, express what words cannot, connect with audiences at a visceral level, harness the ideas and creativity of the whole group, and rely on minimalist scenography. But equally, it is constrained by the very characteristics that set…