Words from the Threshold

ITI News

I have been thinking a great deal about what to tell you before I exit my job as director of ITI-U.S. In particular, I’ve pondered one of our field’s abiding mysteries: How do you prepare artists for a theatre that doesn’t yet exist?

Coincidentally, during this period of “last words” reflection, I was invited to be on two international juries: an international festival/competition for young opera singers in Tirana, Albania, in April; and a festival of theatre schools in Warsaw, Poland, in late June.

The Tirana proceedings, geared toward a three-evening TV production, wove the singing competition into a cultural variety show. What pleased me immensely was that the three winning singers were also the best actors. They sang the story, not just the melody; they were making theatre.

But it was the Polish event that truly dazzled and moved me. Warsaw’s Aleksander Zelwerowicz State Theatre Academy had organized an impeccably structured international festival to celebrate its 70th anniversary; in an awe-inspiring gesture of support, all of Warsaw’s city-owned theatres became venues for the visiting schools. At the opening ceremony, the Polish president himself, Aleksander Kwasniewski, welcomed the participants with the prediction that “this event will become part of the Warsaw calendar for many years to come!” 

Thus began an astounding eight days. The festival jury included two master directors, France’s Jacques Lasalle and Russia’s Kama Ginkas, as well as two Polish theatre artists—director Anna Augustynowicz and stage designer/architect/painter Pawel Dobrzycki—plus Yours Truly. Instructed to award prizes both to the best productions (schools) and to individual actors, we submersed ourselves in the work and were bombarded, dazzled, exhausted, puzzled, irritated, overjoyed, transported and overwhelmed. The schools came from Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Israel, Croatia, Finland, Bulgaria, Hungary, England, Mexico, Italy, Scotland, Spain, Belgium, Lithuania, Germany, Poland and Russia; the last two countries entered two schools each. We encountered many surprises, infinite variety, strong work—which made judging wonderfully difficult—and bad work—which was infuriating. In the midst of such a feast it was hard to watch students who had been starved of technique and spirit.

The St. Petersburg State Academy of Theatrical Art took first prize with a hilarious and heartbreaking production of Aleksandr Vampilov’s The Elder Son. Chekhov’s Platonov, performed by Moscow’s State Academy of Dramatic Art, earned the two principal acting awards. Berlin’s Ernst Busch College of Drama won with Pierre Carlet de Marivaux’s The Dispute. There weren’t enough prizes to do justice to the work, but by bestowing honorable mentions, we tried to call attention to excellence beyond the official prize list. The festival gave all of us great hope for theatre. 

Out of all the prizes awarded, only one was unanimous: the prize to Solista, a performance piece created by three young artists from the Theatre Academy of Finland. What we saw in Solista was created as we watched —not rehearsed and presented, but born before our eyes.

In addition to this small miracle, the phenomenon that made this festival so supremely valuable was the participation of the students. They stayed the whole time. They saw all the productions. They constituted each others’ cheering sections. They became a family for a week. They made friends for life. 

That’s what I want to tell you before I leave. This opportunity for young artists to perform for an audience that includes themselves is an immense gift. It’s a gift to them, and it’s a gift to theatre’s future. I am certain that President Kwasniewski’s opening night prediction will come true, and the festival will show up on Warsaw’s future calendar.

We must create a similar event in America! I am convinced that a festival of theatre schools held here could be a revelation for American theatre and theatre training. As Joan Schirle of Dell’Arte Players Company observed at the TCG conference last year, “We must train the actor as a whole artist for a life in the theatre—not just for a series of jobs.” Founding an international theatre-school festival would be a step in the right direction, throwing professionals, academics and students into the same arena. People with lives in the theatre teach the next generation the arts and techniques of the stage, but they also teach commitment to the profession. They teach the importance of theatre in the life of a society.

After all, theatre is about gatherings. It gathers people to protect language, save lives, deceive the enemy and strengthen humanity. I hope we can create a festival that celebrates young people who are just embarking on their artistic careers. We need them. America needs them.

In November, Martha Coigney concludes a 36-year career at ITI-U.S.—34 of them as the organization’s director. She remains an honorary president 
of ITI Worldwide.

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