Zero Zone Praxis
by Tamur Tohver
Theatre can affect the actors’ and spectators’ consciousness not only indirectly, through the expressed levels of consciousness, but also directly on the level of pure consciousness. If the means of acting thus allow the actor to perform while maintaining the experience of pure consciousness, the resulting mode of acting will directly impact on the level of pure consciousness of the spectators (Meyer-Dinkgräfe, 2005: 195).
Zero Zone praxis is a self-cultivation praxis that helps tackle ego-based conflicts during the rehearsal period in Performing Arts and avoid stage fright manifestations in the actor-director dyad. By practising ZZ praxis, a performer achieves a profound uninterrupted performing flow and moves to a higher level of consciousness in their performance. This creates a powerful contact with the spectator, and both receive an unforgettable experience from the show. Alongside the training, in the case of the production, an actor-director dyad employs here cultivating directing mode. In repeating rehearsal cycles, the director supports the actor to achieve extra strong concentration and helps them to create personal conviction of artistic truth. This makes their performance effectively intimate, talkative, robust and profound. Zero Zone praxis is an idiosyncratic practice which fuses Stanislavskian actor training and directing craft with the perceptual exercises from Yogic techniques and philosophical principles (Abhyasa and Vairagya, Yamas and Niyamas).
The essence of the praxis is the system of new techniques, designed according to practical performing knowledge and delivered with self-cultivation coaching skills. Praxis moves beyond the closed conservative teaching and practising performing arts, increasing anxiety and stage fright. Instead of considering fear as an encouraging tool (a common viewpoint among the older generation of practitioners), the praxis concentrates on preventing or releasing existing unnecessary fear from the actor-director relationship by creating a horizontal, equal and supportive dyad (an amplified holistic approach, especially among the younger generation). As a result, the praxis creates trust and builds an open and sincere relationship between the ensemble members by distilling out personal egoistic motives from the process.
Zero Zone praxis is a practical application of a theory based on theatrical directing, acting, coaching, and Yogic practices. They were designed according to their effect and efficiency.
ZZ self-cultivation exercises are designed to increase the practitioners’ introverted kinaesthetic bodymind awareness and heighten one’s perceptual tools for guiding emotion and focus. Thus, all three ZZ praxis levels together provide a uniquely complete set for conscious training, elevating the practitioner’s distinction and attention skills to a higher level of perception. This, in turn, brings a personal qualitative change and allows one to perform on a higher level of consciousness.
Besides, ZZ praxis creates an agreement between the ensemble members for a more subtle, intimate, caring and appreciative approach to co-operation in the rehearsal process: precision and appreciation for one another. This method alleviates the actor’s and director’s creative hesitations and fears relating to the final artistic product (the performance), improves their personality, and reduces tension in the studio. Practising ZZ praxis together in the studio and individually within the rehearsing period decreases confrontation between creative persons and dissolves unneeded defence dynamics: a self-protective attitude.
The purpose of the coaching session […] is to help you learn how to self-assess. It is truly intended to be an assessment by yourself of yourself. The coach is not here to analyse or diagnose you like a medical or psychological assessment might be done. It is your personal exploration of your own current state of life and being. The coach has done this before and is here to facilitate your own introspection and observation. […] ‘Master’ is a master not because of the title or position but because of his ability and experience: the one who is able to master himself or has already done this.
(About self-cultivation practices, anonymous)
The 1st Stage: The Stairs
External, psychophysical
This is a preparing level and can be used as a warm-up for rehearsal, in which a shared space will be created. It provides an embodied understanding over psychophysical insight: what are the tools for improving self-confidence and connection with a partner, how it works. It also introduces the playground (the performer is a doer, in every meaning) and the aim of our study/training: better focusing, the distinguishing skill, why these are needed and what is the path to achieve it. At the same time, it builds connections in the team: performers as equal partners, director as a partner and a coach, a trustee.
The Stairs includes psychophysical acting-performing exercises, which improve kinematic bodily understanding and teach how to use intuitive perception for guiding one’s attention. This way, one avoids rational thinking in process and will be not distracted by misleading thoughts, awakened by emotions, later.
This level builds secure ground with an open dialogue and a strong partnership between all participants. At the level of the interrelationship between actor and director, this stage synchronizes the principles/understanding of performance-making in a team. The exercises remind about fundamentals, but also indicate the aspiration for a more in-depth approach. This is a kind of agreement, which states the starting point.
The Second Stage: The Entrance
Introverted kinaesthetic awareness in use
This level is turning external focus (from physical doing) inward, tuning one to be more intimate, peaceful and thereby more precise, present and aware of the inner processes for differentiation and sharpening of perception. The additional benefit of this task is physical relaxation and mindfulness. This process allows us to create strong self-confidence, change habitual reactions and build up a new pattern of mind, which are the primary tools in liberation from anxiety. The knowledge: I can do that; I have prepared for that. This is the doorway for guiding all disturbing thoughts and negative emotions. In addition to that, one learns the relativity of time via the bodymind.
One is going to study more in-depth what is psychophysical focus and how to shift it. This allows them to make choices before every micro-action. We are going to use modifications from different meditative yogic practices and techniques developed by Tamur Tohver.
At the level of the interrelationship between actor and director, this stage has vast importance in deepening the trust, ethics and respect through the intimacy of the task. The facilitator (director) gives the basic principles and rehearses with the participants this adapted practice. However, it stays impersonal, as one is powerfully guided to connect to oneself. This level aims to lead the practitioner to daily practice by giving practical experience of how we can master attention and willpower.
The Third Stage: The Zero Zone Dynamics
The intellectual knowledge, given in lecture-discussion mode
As given, the path of praxis should be facilitated in the correct order of stages. While the first two levels are carried by curiosity and gradually progressing awareness, supported by personal insights private to every participant, the third level frames everything together: the reasons, the destination, the path and the result.
By practising Zero Zone Praxis, one's performing craft will be revitalised with new quality, which emerges mainly from releasing unneeded anxiety and stage fright (based on fear) in most of its manifestations during the preparation of the artistic product. Even today, fear is considered an encouraging element in the creative process; my experience shows that this is deeply personal and dependent on the performer's sensitivity, while excitement, emerging from positive curiosity toward an unknown future challenge, empowers most creative artists. Shortly- ZZ praxis prevents blockages while fear creates them.
The Third Stage contains three (the ZZ, the Playback and the Reduction) techniques, which form a set as the crown: it is about using all acquired or improved skills all together on needed moment using them as somatic, behavioural reactions.
By reaching this point in the praxis (the Third Stage), a new attitude is achieved: coherence between exercises produces consistent, systematic enhancement; the desire to explore more, the supporting results and progress, mindful relationships, new insights and thinking mode cultivate strong motivation to keep and develop the mindful and precise-profound approach further.