The Viewpoints Book: A Practical Guide to Viewpoints and Composition (review)
Buy Issue for $25 at JHUPDistinguished directors Anne Bogart and Tina Landau have authored the long-awaited book on Viewpoints Training and Composition, bringing their vast knowledge and creative ideas for applying these tools to actor training, rehearsal, and new play development. This is a hands-on book for acting teachers and any theatre practitioner interested in exploring Viewpoints and Composition. It will be especially welcomed by theatre artists and teachers who have practiced Viewpoints and want to deepen their understanding.
Mary Overlie initially introduced Anne Bogart to Viewpoints in 1979 when both were teaching at NYU's Experimental Theatre Wing. Overlie created the initial Viewpoints (Space, Shape, Time, Emotion, Movement, and Story) as principles for her choreography and teaching. Bogart saw the potential for applying this vocabulary to the theatrical stage and began to incorporate Viewpoints into her teaching and directing. In 1987, Landau was introduced to Viewpoints when she and Bogart met while working at the American Repertory Theatre. Over time, six Viewpoints evolved into nine and vocal Viewpoints were introduced. Landau and [End Page 194] Bogart have continued their explorations of Viewpoints and Composition independently, Bogart as director of the SITI Company, and Landau in her work as director, playwright and member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. In this new book, the authors write collaboratively, sharing their individual experiences while providing the reader with an organized, practical, and inspirational guide to teaching and practicing Viewpoints and Composition.
The Viewpoints Book is the first extensive history and philosophical study of Viewpoints and Composition, and the first publication to provide a practical step-by-step guide to enable theatre artists to practice and utilize these techniques. Previously, students of Viewpoints had few written resources. The 1995 documentation of the 19th Annual Classics in Context Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville, celebrating Anne Bogart, featured Landau's definition of Viewpoints and Composition and an explanation of how they might be used in rehearsals. More recent articles have explored working with Viewpoints in the directing process, most notably Joan Herrington's "Directing with the Viewpoints" in Theatre Topics 10.2 (2000). But Bogart and Landau's new book will most certainly be seen as the authoritative resource on the use of these key techniques.
The book begins with a history of Viewpoints and Composition, definitions of each, and a brief but comprehensive discussion of traditional American actor training processes. The authors trace the evolution of the Viewpoints from the mid-1960s, specifically in the development of postmodern dance that strove to "liberate choreography from psychology and conventional drama" (4). Bogart and Landau argue that the traditional emphasis on psychological approaches to actor training resulting from the Americanization of the Stanislavski system is effective for television and film but confining for the stage. They argue that Viewpoints and Composition open the way for theatre artists to make choices based on awareness of time and space, not limited to character psychology. Bogart and Landau address the need for ongoing training for the actor, similar to the dancer's barre work or the musician's scales, and maintain that Viewpoints and Composition can provide a daily practice to keep creativity alive and maintain cohesive ensembles. Finally, they argue against the actor's urge to please the director. Viewpoints and Composition challenge the traditional director / actor hierarchy by providing ways to collectively address questions that arise in rehearsals through a collaborative process that gives all the participants ownership in the outcome.
Bogart and Landau then provide a step-by-step practical guide to the Viewpoints. The authors do not demand an absolute adherence to their progression, stressing that Viewpoints is an open process rather than closed methodology. Beginning exercises are specifically designed to help practitioners identify and practice each of the Viewpoints individually. Additional chapters, "Putting the Individual Viewpoints Together," "Group Improvisations...
