Our "school of fools" Nov/Dec 1983 By Alain Schons, School Director

From 1981 - 1984, Alain Schons was director of our school, then called “The Dell’Arte School of Mime & Comedy." As a designer and teacher, Alain was a key player in the early years of the company; he also initiated organization of the curriculum around a consistent program and a resident faculty/ensemble rather than Carlo’s personality alone. As we were about to inaugurate our first Advanced Program in 1983—decades before we began the MFA—he wrote for our Fall newsletter about the direction of the school. His words still seem fresh as we continue our research of the school into the training of the actor. Alain now lives in Sauve, France, which is officially Blue Lake's sister city--see photos below.
---Joan Schirle, Founding Artistic Director, School Director


STATE OF THE PROGRAM

Nov/Dec 1983

By Alain Schons, School Director 1981 - 1984



When I took the direction of the Dell’Arte School a few years ago, Don, Joan, Mara, Michael, Steve, and I* were very much aware that what the school needed was a consistent and progressive curriculum that would not solely rely on teachers’ personalities or box office value. The reputation of the school had to be built on the three components that make up any school such as ours: the program, the faculty, and the student body.

My analysis at that time was that we had an excellent faculty indeed. It was the other two components that were lacking. I therefore decided to put all my energy into the content of the program. By doing this, I was hoping that a solid curriculum would attract more committed students—young performers that were not just interested in playing the resumé game, but anxious to expand their knowledge through a demanding program in physical performance.

My thought at the time was that by strengthening the curriculum, student enrollment would increase and the faculty would become stronger. To bring about such a change was not an easy task. Leaving old habits and individual resistances aside, there were no models to follow. Some in our close entourage were even predicting that the school would fold because of what they perceived as a radical change. They were obviously not taking into account the belief we had in our strength as teachers and artists, our vision of a theatre to come, and of course, our organizational talent and capabilities to achieve our goals.

Most schools that are similar to ours rely on the presence of one strong personality to give a specific philosophy to their school program. They generally function as a private business with the single vision that this entails. It is fair to say that those same limitations constitute their strength as well as their weakness. It would be futile to try to deny here that such schools do not fulfill an important role in training physical performers. The point I would like to make though is that the Dell’Arte School has chosen a different and more ambitious path. For several years our school has tried to fulfill a wider range of needs of today’s young professionals. The challenge confronting us looked almost like a contradiction between the need to accentuate a pluralistic approach to each subject taught and the necessity to maintain a specific school philosophy.

After my teaching experience at the experimental university of Paris VIII (1959 through 1975), I became more and more convinced that what was needed were small schools that would not separate theory and practice in an academic fashion and would actively keep up with the methods and philosophies of small professional “grassroots” companies. Those companies--theatre, mime, comedy (or a mixture of those three) constitute the majority of the live performance force today. Very few schools are or have been functioning while recognizing this fact.

The historical models that influenced me the most during my formative years were “L’Atelier de Charles Dullin” and the “L’Ecole du Vieux Colombier.”** Both schools were closely associated with small theatre companies working as ensembles. Their belief was that the only way to free theater from its psychological or literary excesses was to start with the training of performers, emphasizing physical training, and giving those performers the possibility to apply their art in a performing company. The Dell’Arte School thinks that those principles remain as valid today as they were years ago. The presence of a high caliber professional company guarantees a pragmatic approach to our curriculum. The fact that most of our faculty is actively involved in the profession also contributes to that approach. This type of thinking has helped us over ten years to modify our curriculum and to be more deeply involved in the area of performance. Most of you who have worked with us in recent years will be able to relate to what I have said here.

At this point in our history I am glad to be able to say that those choices were sensible ones. The one-year program has reached its maximum enrollment and our advanced program is taking off in January, 1984. I am deeply grateful to all those who are helping me to run our “school of fools.” They know who they are. To all of you out there, struggling in the vast world of theatre, mime and comedy—your school is alive and well. Your work as performing artists is the best advertisement our school could have. We need you. Keep up the good work!



* The resident Dell’Arte Company members in 1983: Donald Forrest, Joan Schirle, Mara Sabinson, Michael Fields, Steve Most
**The school of Jacques Copeau.

Photos: Joan Schirle

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