Andrei Droznin's Physical Actor Training: A Russian Masterclass

‘This DVD/booklet blends practical and theoretical, primary and secondary sources to provide a rich resource on Droznin and his work. It has great potential for use as a teaching or training tool. The mixed-media format also represents an example of best practice in communicating practical/physical knowledge and ideas – and suggests a model for the documentation of practice-research.’ – David Matthews, Stanislavski Studies

‘All in all, Andrei Droznin’s Physical Actor Training is a welcome wrestling with the challenges of capturing and presenting movement training. It is an excellent introduction to the work of Andrei Droznin that provides some new contextualised history for those interested in deepening their knowledge of Russian theatre...The publication is not a simple training tool but is rather an inspirational reference for practical study that challenges us, student and teacher alike, to expand, and even disrupt, our conceptions of how and why we use our bodies, in performance and life.’ – Bryan Brown, Theatre, Dance and Performance Training

‘Droznin is remarkable and valuable for his ability to combine serious and historically contextualised reflection on the body, psychology and human behaviour with an incorporated and systematic exploration of these ideas in practice.' Paul Allain

Andrei Droznin’s Physical Actor Training presents a unique introduction to the master teacher behind a programme of stage movement training that is taught all over the world. Droznin’s influence on the way biomechanical principals and the relationship between mind and body are approached in modern drama schools has been both extensive and profound. But never before has a publication attempted to document, in any real detail, both his methods and the motivations behind them.

Aimed at both scholars and theatre professionals, Andrei Droznin’s Physical Actor Training is comprised of:

• A DVD containing both an interview with Droznin himself, and a vivid selection of his exercises taught by long-term associate, Natalia Fedorova, building from essential principals of locomotion into explosive acrobatics.
• An accompanying booklet featuring two practical essays by Droznin translated into English for the first time, along with an introduction to his work by Paul Allain.

Droznin’s goal is ‘not simply to teach students "stage tricks" but to make a connection between...body and soul, so that when they feel something, they will immediately express themselves.’ This unprecedented collaborative project provides indispensible insights into how that connection might still be achieved in today’s technologically-driven world.