1
IB Theatre: Solo Theatre Report | Katie Mitchell | Word Count: 2500 | Pages: 12
Ai
Whilst working as an assistant director at Royal Shakespeare Company
in 1994, Katie Mitchell directed her first Shakespeare play, realizing
that she had no desire to do another (Fig.1).1 For Mitchell, the classical
theatre style, portraying a linear narrative centered on the male
experience, did not resonate with her experiences as a “female” and a
“human”.2 Instead, she believed that theatre should give voice to the
underrepresented female “experience, perception and identity”.3
Mitchell has hence reshaped theatre into a space where female voices
are not only included but central to the meaning.4 Ultimately, Mitchell’s
creation, purpose, performance and presentation of theatre are informed
by her desire to psychologically explore “female interiority”, placing
their perspectives at the core, whilst critiquing out-dated patriarchal
societies.5 Whilst Mitchell has not given her theory a formal title, her
practice is often ascribed to multimedia within educational settings.6
Live Cinema
For twenty years, Mitchell worked within a naturalistic framework, relying on production
elements of sound, music, lighting and set design.7 However, these traditional production
elements struggled to convey the nuanced psychological depth of the female characters that
was central to her intentions.8 Upon Mitchell’s 2006 readaptation of Virginia Woolf’s novel,
The Waves, she experimented with an innovative hybrid between cinematography and theatre,
later conceptualized as live cinema.9 Initially utilizing cameras to film real-time
performances, live cinema has significantly developed to include more elements that amplify
the realism of scenes, such as live sound.10 This is when real-time sound is created on stage,
and is projected audibly through microphones, live sound mixing and speakers.11 This creates
a multi-layered immersive experience for the audience, akin to the electroacoustic
soundscape heard in films, constructing a naturalistic atmosphere that complements
1
Charlotte Higgins, “Katie Mitchell, British Theatre’s Queen in Exile,” The Guardian, September 1,
2021, https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/jan/14/british-theatre-queen-exile-katie-mitchell.
2
Mackenzie Davenport, “Katie Mitchell - Crafting Live Cinema,” July 2, 2021,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GokvM33fJAc.
3
Ibid.
4
Ibid.
5
Ibid.
6
Katie Mitchell, Olivia Gillman, and National Theatre, “Practitioners in Practice: Katie Mitchell,”
Practitioners in Practice, 2010,
https://images.nationaltheatre.org.uk/uploads/2024/03/KatieMitchell-PractitionersinPractice-PDF-202
4.pdf.
7
Mackenzie Davenport, “Katie Mitchell - Crafting Live Cinema.”
8
Ibid.
9
Ibid.
10
Ibid.
11
Ibid
, 2
Mitchell’s psychologically-driven performance style.12 Besides live camera and live sound,
the building blocks of Mitchell’s live cinema include foley, action, film-script, editing,
motion and voice over which all support her intention of presenting a psychologically
realistic reflection of the female experience.13
Readapting Classics
Mitchell is renowned for her reimaginations of classical
plays, inviting audiences to view traditional works,
written in male-dominated societies, through the female
character’s lens.14 A popular example is Mitchel’s spin
on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia’s Zimmer, where she
brings “an almost forensic gaze” on an “imprisoned
Ophelia” (Fig.2).15 By shifting focus from Hamlet to
Ophelia’s routines and interactions with oppressive
structures, Mitchell achieves her forefront intention of
highlighting the female struggle in toxic patriarchal
societies.16
Performance Style
Much of Mitchell’s directorial approach is influenced by Konstantin Stanislavski’s
naturalistic style, which follows a “rigorous system of training” to create an intimate
connection between actors and their characters.17 Stanislavski believed that “outward
expressions of character must flow from that character's inner life: his memories, beliefs,
preoccupations, and so on”.18 Creating psychological accuracy was imperative for a
naturalistic performance.19
Inspired by this, Mitchell, in her 2009 The Director’s Craft, outlines a method to achieve
psychological accuracy: “creating an extensive backstory for the production; constructing
detailed psychological profiles for each character; and rehearsing the play with a focus on the
biology of emotions”.20 This created her “six layers” where actor’s explore their character’s
12
Mackenzie Davenport, “Katie Mitchell - Crafting Live Cinema.”
13
Mitchell, Olivia Gillman, and National Theatre, “Practitioners in Practice: Katie Mitchell.”
14
Ibid.
15
Lyn Gardner, “Ophelias Zimmer Review – Katie Mitchell Brings Hamlet’s Real Ghost Into Focus,”
The Guardian, August 15, 2022,
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/may/18/ophelias-zimmer-review-katie-mitchell-hamlet-roya
l-court#:~:text=.This%20is%20not%20an%20easy,with%20the%20idea%20of%20death%3F.
16
Ibid.
17
Ibid.
18
Api, “Stanislavski,” Scribd, n.d., https://www.scribd.com/presentation/352448534/stanislavski.
19
Emma Cole, “The Method Behind the Madness: Katie Mitchell, Stanislavski, and the Classics,”
Classical Receptions Journal 7, no. 3 (November 23, 2014): 400–421,
https://doi.org/10.1093/crj/clu022.
20
Ibid.
IB Theatre: Solo Theatre Report | Katie Mitchell | Word Count: 2500 | Pages: 12
Ai
Whilst working as an assistant director at Royal Shakespeare Company
in 1994, Katie Mitchell directed her first Shakespeare play, realizing
that she had no desire to do another (Fig.1).1 For Mitchell, the classical
theatre style, portraying a linear narrative centered on the male
experience, did not resonate with her experiences as a “female” and a
“human”.2 Instead, she believed that theatre should give voice to the
underrepresented female “experience, perception and identity”.3
Mitchell has hence reshaped theatre into a space where female voices
are not only included but central to the meaning.4 Ultimately, Mitchell’s
creation, purpose, performance and presentation of theatre are informed
by her desire to psychologically explore “female interiority”, placing
their perspectives at the core, whilst critiquing out-dated patriarchal
societies.5 Whilst Mitchell has not given her theory a formal title, her
practice is often ascribed to multimedia within educational settings.6
Live Cinema
For twenty years, Mitchell worked within a naturalistic framework, relying on production
elements of sound, music, lighting and set design.7 However, these traditional production
elements struggled to convey the nuanced psychological depth of the female characters that
was central to her intentions.8 Upon Mitchell’s 2006 readaptation of Virginia Woolf’s novel,
The Waves, she experimented with an innovative hybrid between cinematography and theatre,
later conceptualized as live cinema.9 Initially utilizing cameras to film real-time
performances, live cinema has significantly developed to include more elements that amplify
the realism of scenes, such as live sound.10 This is when real-time sound is created on stage,
and is projected audibly through microphones, live sound mixing and speakers.11 This creates
a multi-layered immersive experience for the audience, akin to the electroacoustic
soundscape heard in films, constructing a naturalistic atmosphere that complements
1
Charlotte Higgins, “Katie Mitchell, British Theatre’s Queen in Exile,” The Guardian, September 1,
2021, https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/jan/14/british-theatre-queen-exile-katie-mitchell.
2
Mackenzie Davenport, “Katie Mitchell - Crafting Live Cinema,” July 2, 2021,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GokvM33fJAc.
3
Ibid.
4
Ibid.
5
Ibid.
6
Katie Mitchell, Olivia Gillman, and National Theatre, “Practitioners in Practice: Katie Mitchell,”
Practitioners in Practice, 2010,
https://images.nationaltheatre.org.uk/uploads/2024/03/KatieMitchell-PractitionersinPractice-PDF-202
4.pdf.
7
Mackenzie Davenport, “Katie Mitchell - Crafting Live Cinema.”
8
Ibid.
9
Ibid.
10
Ibid.
11
Ibid
, 2
Mitchell’s psychologically-driven performance style.12 Besides live camera and live sound,
the building blocks of Mitchell’s live cinema include foley, action, film-script, editing,
motion and voice over which all support her intention of presenting a psychologically
realistic reflection of the female experience.13
Readapting Classics
Mitchell is renowned for her reimaginations of classical
plays, inviting audiences to view traditional works,
written in male-dominated societies, through the female
character’s lens.14 A popular example is Mitchel’s spin
on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia’s Zimmer, where she
brings “an almost forensic gaze” on an “imprisoned
Ophelia” (Fig.2).15 By shifting focus from Hamlet to
Ophelia’s routines and interactions with oppressive
structures, Mitchell achieves her forefront intention of
highlighting the female struggle in toxic patriarchal
societies.16
Performance Style
Much of Mitchell’s directorial approach is influenced by Konstantin Stanislavski’s
naturalistic style, which follows a “rigorous system of training” to create an intimate
connection between actors and their characters.17 Stanislavski believed that “outward
expressions of character must flow from that character's inner life: his memories, beliefs,
preoccupations, and so on”.18 Creating psychological accuracy was imperative for a
naturalistic performance.19
Inspired by this, Mitchell, in her 2009 The Director’s Craft, outlines a method to achieve
psychological accuracy: “creating an extensive backstory for the production; constructing
detailed psychological profiles for each character; and rehearsing the play with a focus on the
biology of emotions”.20 This created her “six layers” where actor’s explore their character’s
12
Mackenzie Davenport, “Katie Mitchell - Crafting Live Cinema.”
13
Mitchell, Olivia Gillman, and National Theatre, “Practitioners in Practice: Katie Mitchell.”
14
Ibid.
15
Lyn Gardner, “Ophelias Zimmer Review – Katie Mitchell Brings Hamlet’s Real Ghost Into Focus,”
The Guardian, August 15, 2022,
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/may/18/ophelias-zimmer-review-katie-mitchell-hamlet-roya
l-court#:~:text=.This%20is%20not%20an%20easy,with%20the%20idea%20of%20death%3F.
16
Ibid.
17
Ibid.
18
Api, “Stanislavski,” Scribd, n.d., https://www.scribd.com/presentation/352448534/stanislavski.
19
Emma Cole, “The Method Behind the Madness: Katie Mitchell, Stanislavski, and the Classics,”
Classical Receptions Journal 7, no. 3 (November 23, 2014): 400–421,
https://doi.org/10.1093/crj/clu022.
20
Ibid.
