Biography
Steven Berkoff, born Leslie Steven Berks in Stepney, London, on 3 August 1937, is arguably the most influential figures in shaping modern theatre. The actor, author, playwright and theatre director belonged to a family of Russian-Jewish background, and therefore added the ‘off’ back to the end of his name and opted to go by his middle name. Berkoff had a troubled childhood and often felt like he didn’t get what he wanted and in 1952 he was sentenced to a stint in borstal for stealing a bike. He used theatre as an escape. Following more training at the Webber Douglas School of Drama, he worked extensively in repertory theatre in England and Scotland - doing every job from understudy to stage management. In 1968 he formed his own company, the London Theatre Group. Through mime, gymnastics and voice, the Group liberated themselves from the conventions of mainstream theatre and started to evolve an innovative, more integrated theatrical language. Berkoff's encounter with the mime artist Jacque le Coq in Paris was seminal in this. Steven Berkoff's plays include East, West, Sink the Belgrano, Decadence, Kvetch, Acapulco, Ritual in Blood, Oedipus and many more. In film, Berkoff has acted in a variety of movie roles such as the …show more content…
Physicality and well as audience immersion and engagement was a huge part of Total Theatre, the integration of expression and animated movements as well as dramatic ideas and notions is what made Total Theatre what it is today. Total Theatre explores all dimensions of the stage arts, not confining itself to one simple and explicit meaning; it explores numerous interpretations rediscovering a sense of unity and totality allowing all individuals, both audience and performer to participate and
Steven Berkoff, born Leslie Steven Berks in Stepney, London, on 3 August 1937, is arguably the most influential figures in shaping modern theatre. The actor, author, playwright and theatre director belonged to a family of Russian-Jewish background, and therefore added the ‘off’ back to the end of his name and opted to go by his middle name. Berkoff had a troubled childhood and often felt like he didn’t get what he wanted and in 1952 he was sentenced to a stint in borstal for stealing a bike. He used theatre as an escape. Following more training at the Webber Douglas School of Drama, he worked extensively in repertory theatre in England and Scotland - doing every job from understudy to stage management. In 1968 he formed his own company, the London Theatre Group. Through mime, gymnastics and voice, the Group liberated themselves from the conventions of mainstream theatre and started to evolve an innovative, more integrated theatrical language. Berkoff's encounter with the mime artist Jacque le Coq in Paris was seminal in this. Steven Berkoff's plays include East, West, Sink the Belgrano, Decadence, Kvetch, Acapulco, Ritual in Blood, Oedipus and many more. In film, Berkoff has acted in a variety of movie roles such as the …show more content…
Physicality and well as audience immersion and engagement was a huge part of Total Theatre, the integration of expression and animated movements as well as dramatic ideas and notions is what made Total Theatre what it is today. Total Theatre explores all dimensions of the stage arts, not confining itself to one simple and explicit meaning; it explores numerous interpretations rediscovering a sense of unity and totality allowing all individuals, both audience and performer to participate and