Suzuki Intro

 Tadashi Suzuki was born June 20 1939 in Shizuoka, Japan. He is the founder and director of the Suzuki Company of Toga (based in Toga Village, located in the mountains of Toyama prefecture) and the creator of the Suzuki Method of Actor Training. The method’s primary concerns include: the structure of a theatre group, the creation and use of theatrical space, and the overcoming of cultural and national barriers in the interest of creating work that is truly universal. The Suzuki method was designed to centre de body through the use of the feet, through a series of exercises to through the body off centre.  The exercises used in this method are made to recalibrate the way the actor moves. It involves a greater thought about how to use the body, not only in a physical way but also in an emotional way.

“There are two impulses in theatre: to be frivolous or to make rules.”-Suzuki

Tadashi Suzuki’s production of CLYTEMNESTRA, 1991.

 Controlling breath, enhancing focus and reflecting struggles into movements are the basis of Suzuki’s training.  It also helps to focus the energy when perfectly still. The practice of this method is known to be very physically demanding, since must of the body must be contracted. Actors can benefit from this method in many ways. Showing emotion in movements and not only in language, for example, is very useful to increase the character’s credibility and the interest of the public. Plus, being able to channel energy and emphasis by standing still can be very helpful in dialogues and in making fidgety acting students understand that one can make a stance not moving the body at all. Controlling breathing and focusing on specific

The SITI Company is an ensemble-based theatre company whose three ongoing components are the creation of new work, the training of young theater artists, and a commitment to international collaboration.

Originally the "Saratoga International Theater Institute," SITI was founded in 1992 by Anne Bogart and Tadashi Suzuki redefine and revitalize contemporary theatre in the United States through an emphasis on international cultural exchange and collaboration.

Anne Mnouchkine is a French stage director (born 19309) and founded the Théâtre du Soleil in 1964. She is the active Chair of Artistic Creation at the college de France and has her most famous works include “Molière” and “La Nuit Miraculeuse”. Mnouchkine is regularly ranked as one of the world's most influential directors and the only female winner of the international Ibsen award.