About Us

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History of project

The company was set up by Mark Phoenix, to challenge 'dead theatre' and comedy impro. His belief that actors know more about their craft than recognised by many in the theatre. The role of a Director is a recent innovation. For centuries the actors have coped without them. Actors do have some understanding of the Directors role. And Comedia del Arte, started doing without the playwright centuries ago too. The performers had some skill in crafting a piece of performance without the need of them. So can actors actually create plays on their own? Directorless? Playwrightless? The skills of Improvisation were there to be used. However, 'Impro' seemed to have been stolen by stand-up comedians, and the whole genre, seemed tilted toward short comic sketches. Could Actors actually have a chance to take the skills of Improvisation and adapt them to their own needs, working theatrically rather than comedically. Was there something more to Improvisation than being quick witted and funny? Mark worked with Fluxx and ESP (Experiments in Spontaneous Performance) with Chris Johnston (House of Games, The Improvisation Game) establishing more dramatic and cross-art-form styles of improvising. It became clear that across the art forms, Improvisation, took on the following basics: Listening, Sourcing, Building. ( Acting had its own extra problems in terms of psychology and blocking. After all, lifting a leg, or playing A-flat, doesn't have the same feeling of vulnerability as saying 'I am a pervert'!) So it was the fact that Improvisation was about Listening, that enabled Mark to challenge the quick witted Speakers, with a new form of Improvisation. Using Sandford Meisners work, as the actors Sourcing technique, Mark developed some new Improvisation techniques that are acting based. Mark ran several years of teaching, to develop this idea. From his classes, new talent, so addicted to his work, wanted a place to continue to develop, learn and perform.  So Third Person theatre company was born.