Tim Robbins and The Actors' Gang meet with students for workshop

This week University of Richmond played host to The Actor's Gang -- an unconventional theater troupe directed by the accomplished actor and director Tim Robbins -- who put on a moving performance of "The Trial of the Catonsville Nine." I, along with other Richmond theater students had the chance to participate in a workshop led by The Actors' Gang cast and to talk with Robbins himself.

The interactive workshop, held on Monday, gave the students a fabulous look into the techniques used by the actors to create their unique art. Through group exercises we explored the importance of giving and receiving ideas when participating in improvisational theater.

Following several high-energy exercises we ended the workshop with a demonstration of what we had learned by adopting very physical Commedia Dell'Arte characters and parading around the room to music.

On Wednesday Robbins sat down with us and really illustrated his true passion for The Actors' Gang. He has been with them since the beginning (early 1980s) and although the company is comprised of mostly new actors today, they still carry out the same purpose. The main idea of the company is to present classic theater in a new provocative way and to truly involve the audience.

The methods stem largely from the 16th century Italian style of commedia but also from the "Theatre du Soleil" in Paris. Upon seeing Robbins, tall and handsome, many of the girls, including the professor (if I dare say so) were giddy. His talk was stupendously inspirational and he answered all of our questions graciously. With both workshops the environment was comfortable and supportive. The cast was eager to share their passion and I could sense that they really wanted us to learn as much as we could in the time allotted.

Emma Burnett is a first year student at the University of Richmond.

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The Actors' Gang, based in Los Angeles, is a self-described experimental theatre group. From my time spent working with them in two separate workshops during the past three days, I learned a great deal about techniques relating to physical theatre. Through these two short sessions, I was able to meet a number of people who were wonderfully in tune with the nature of their emotions and admirably absorbed in their art. I was also privileged to witness the full extent of their talent in the Gang's production of "The Trial of the Catonsville Nine," by Daniel Berrigan.

The first workshop I attended was on Monday, Sept. 7. We started out with a brief description of the nature and methods of the Gang, delivered by Patti Tippo and Chris Schultz. We then moved into an exercise designed to simultaneously allow the participants to develop a zone of concentration, by shouting at each other in a specific, controlled rhythm. We also removed some natural inhibitions by allowing our physicality to break free.

Then Patti and Chris introduced the concept of "passing the food," which basically consists of making eye contact with a single person, either individually or as a group. After this was developed for a bit, we moved into state work. To summarize, we were asked to quickly and suddenly switch from one of the four core states (angry, sad, happy, and afraid) to another state. Then, at the direction of the workshop leaders, we were to hold whatever state we were in and "pass the food" to the audience. I got stuck being angry for about ten minutes straight all by myself, and in those ten minutes, I learned a lot from the Gang, especially Corey Lovett, about the power of physicality and how deep any sort of emotion can run.

Following this state work we began to develop stock characters from the theatric style known as Commedia Dell'Arte. Using physicality as our primary means of expressing characterization, we were forced to truly think about how it felt to be, for example, a rich, crabby geriatric. This was a great exercise in the techniques one can use to establish the nature of a character even before any words are spoken.

The second workshop, held on Sept. 9, was held by the Gang's artistic director, Tim Robbins, along with members Adele Robbins, Chris Schultz and Scott Harris. This session offered insight into the more advanced methods and training techniques of the Gang.

Mr. Robbins presented a slideshow of intensive improvisation workshops that serve as training for the actors, pointing out the clear and powerful emotions present in the eyes of the performers, who wore traditional commedia masks.

The presentation then moved to specific anecdotes from various training sessions, which exhibited the extent to which the actors became absorbed in their characters and emotions, while remaining completely in control of their own actions. One story stood out to me. One actor, playing a slave driver, had put about fifteen others in a stockade, and was humiliating and beating them. Finally, one actor broke free with such rage that all the others were liberated, and converged on the slave driver, about to murder him.

Mr. Robbins then presented the slave driver with an apple and a knife, which he proceeded to slice up and give to the other actors. At this point, I noticed Adele started to tear up, which she explained by telling us that the apple was the last food source in Jamestown. She, as one of the starving slaves, was given a piece of the fruit, and savored it as if she truly had gone hungry for weeks. This experience, which she seems to remember as clear as day, emphasizes the depth of the Gang's emotional training.

I will end my assessment of The Actors' Gang's residency with "The Trial of the Catonsville Nine." This was a truly moving production that raised multiple questions about morality and its place in a world of law and order. Having seen the show after the Gang's first workshop, I noticed many of the techniques we learned being used, such as "passing the food" and the clear expression of emotional states, primarily in the faces of the actors.

Afterwards, the cast participated in a "Talk Back" discussion with Tim Robbins, during which time audience members used the opportunity to question the Gang on everything from the message of the show, to the history of their characters, to the challenges associated with performing a play based on history. All the performers, and Robbins, were eager to provide their own insight into the performance as a method of helping the audience understand the experience of the Catonsville nine.

Understanding human experience really is what The Actors' Gang, and theater in general, is all about. I was privileged enough to work with these talented individuals, and to witness them doing what they truly love. Emotional depth is one of the many characteristics that make humans what they are, and the Gang embodies the value of this concept in all that they do. I was star-struck by their professional attitudes, their abundant talent and their friendliness. The past three days have truly been an experience worth remembering. So, bravo to The Actors' Gang, and Tim Robbins and thank you all for taking the time to pass on some of your methods to young actors!

Jason Davis is a first-year student at the University of Richmond.