The Saint Plays (Paj Books)

Rating:
Summary: Elemental Theatre: Saint Eric!
Review: Eric Ehn's "The Saint Plays" have a voice of their own. The plays are beautiful, elemental, intelligent, and speak in a poetic voice. It's as if Ehn has written such incredible thoughts and emotions in short hand. The poetry suggests so many levels of theatricality and emotion. Ehn's plays are not dogmatic, nor are they Catholic. He just uses the Saints and their stories from the Catholic religion for his frame work as he takes a saint and an outsider and combines these elements. For instance, in one play he uses a family whose daughter is missing and combines it with Saint Eulalia ("Pain") and uses Sophia Loren in another to convey stardom. He writes for the actor, the artist who will explore his work; he writes for the elemental theatre. Aside from being an exceptional piece of theatre, "The Saint Plays" are tools for the actor, as they help one explore and use the breath, work with behavior,celebrate the body (tell the story with gesture), use the inner body, and communicate an emotional level of intensity as they believe and commit to the work. Simply, the plays help the actor internalize. Ehn's motto is "The script is not above you, the script is with you. Don't tell. Show." Ehn is an incredible playwright who makes speech the "dance of the mouth" as he helps an actor choreograph the tongue and mouth to make a play dance. One of Ehn's finest is "Wholly Joan" (Saint Joan).

Rating:
Summary: Elemental Theatre: Saint Eric!
Review: Eric Ehn's "The Saint Plays" have a voice of their own. The plays are beautiful, elemental, intelligent, and speak in a poetic voice. It's as if Ehn has written such incredible thoughts and emotions in short hand. The poetry suggests so many levels of theatricality and emotion. Ehn's plays are not dogmatic, nor are they Catholic. He just uses the Saints and their stories from the Catholic religion for his frame work as he takes a saint and an outsider and combines these elements. For instance, in one play he uses a family whose daughter is missing and combines it with Saint Eulalia ("Pain") and uses Sophia Loren in another to convey stardom. He writes for the actor, the artist who will explore his work; he writes for the elemental theatre. Aside from being an exceptional piece of theatre, "The Saint Plays" are tools for the actor, as they help one explore and use the breath, work with behavior,celebrate the body (tell the story with gesture), use the inner body, and communicate an emotional level of intensity as they believe and commit to the work. Simply, the plays help the actor internalize. Ehn's motto is "The script is not above you, the script is with you. Don't tell. Show." Ehn is an incredible playwright who makes speech the "dance of the mouth" as he helps an actor choreograph the tongue and mouth to make a play dance. One of Ehn's finest is "Wholly Joan" (Saint Joan).