The Montage

An excerpt from Jerzy Grotowski's 'From The Theatre Company To Art As A Vehicle'.

"In a certain sense this totality (the montage) appeared no on the stage, but in the perception of the spectator.  The seat of the montage was the perception of the spectator.  That which the spectator caught was the intended montage, while that which the actors did - that's another story.

To make the montage in the spectator's perception is not the duty of the actor, but of the director.  The actor should rather seek to liberate himself from the dependence on the spectator, if he doesn't want to lose the very see of creativity.  To make the montage in the spectator's perception is the task of the director, and it is one of the most important elements of his craft."

When I read this it suddenly dawned on me what I was doing wrong with my directing.  I was expecting the actors to be aware of the 'montage' of the work.  This is not necessary, and possibly stifles their creativity.  What I need to focus on is their understanding of their own journey, and trust me to form the montage.  This feels like a huge leap of understanding.  It will also help me with my Vorticism research, because I realise I need to release the workshop participants from the burden of understanding, and just let them create within the 'rules' or 'structures' I set out for that particular activity or task.  BIG break through!