Making visible the invisible : Ingemar Lindh's practice of collective improvisation and Etienne Decroux

Abstract

Swedish theatre maker Ingemar Lindh (1945–97) can be regarded as a prime example of Étienne Decroux's paradoxical absent/present impact in late twentieth-century theatre. The article looks at links, overlapping concerns, and differences between the two practitioners with the principal aim of shedding contextual and conceptual light on Lindh's research. It also contributes to our knowledge of the corporeal mime master, especially about the nature of influence and transmission. Due to the intentional low profile that both practitioners kept, as well as to the lack of documented and critical material on Lindh, identifying links is a complex task. The article strategically reconsiders this obstacle as an opportunity to discuss the more latent (and therefore less visible) aspects of influence, specifically between the two practitioners, but symptomatically also of twentieth-century laboratory theatre. The main aspects discussed in the article are: personal histories and trajectories of influence; holistic pedagogical dimensions as a way of life; the role played by improvisation in training and performance processes; and the nature of mental phenomena in the actor's work.