Berkoff Style
This Unit we are exploring physical theatre, acting and the style of practitioner Steven Berkoff. In five mins with Steven Berkoff, he describes how he sees himself first and foremost as an actor, as it allows him to play and experiment with theatre. This is seen in the different influences for his work- Plays such as East and West take inspiration from the poetic style of Shakespeare and plays such as Metamorphosis are adaptions of other writer’s works. He also takes inspiration from other actors and practitioners. Edmund Kean (1787-1833) performed Shakespeare and had a flair for melodrama. This may have had an impact on the exaggerative style of Berkoff. Jaques Le Coq and his pupil Claude Chagrin studied alongside Berkoff. Le Coq’s use of mime, movement, masks and ensemble are all characteristics that can be seen in Berkoff’s work. Berkoffs style almost works to strip down a work and centre it on movement and experimentation of voice. He places these two things above th...