To put it simply, in Split Theatre’s Work On The Self programme, we use Grotowski-inspired actor training activities to help participants gain more awareness of and control over their selves. Our main trainer and developer of the programme is currently researching on Jerzy Grotowski’s actor training principles/activities and how they can be applicable/useful for people in and out of the theatre.

For us, we refer to the “self” as a combination of the mind (memory and imagination) and the body. The habitual way of moving in our society (sitting or standing for long hours) may result in us using less and less of our bodies. The habitual way of being in our society (putting on a front/fulfilling a role at school/work or in life) may result in us losing touch with who we truly are inside. During this programme, we seek to explore and move past our physical limitations and limiting beliefs, so that we can reach our fullest potentials as human beings. In so doing, we relate more honestly with others, and we form more fulfilling relationships.

Versatility, creativity, and the awareness of one’s self are three important attributes of a phenomenal actor. We work on those here. This programme will also help you disrupt habitual ways of moving and thinking, so that you can offer a personalised take to roles assigned to you and choreography given to you. For the advanced version of the programme, participants will move further with archetypes and roles.

Actor training activities help us to unleash our creativity and courage. An actor who is not inhibited by habits can uncover more possibilities on stage. Hence, this programme can also help people who are more keen on doing scripted (rather than devised) work. In fact, Jerzy Grotowski’s processes were developed from the work of Konstantin Stanislavsky! For us, the actor’s work is grounded on physical actions.

We have mentioned versatility, creativity, and awareness - and these pertain to the performer’s mind as well as the body. We’ll move on to the slightly more ‘abstract’ and the ‘bigger picture’ for this question.

Knowing and being sure of one’s self is important for performers because in many performer training contexts, the truthfulness of your craft stems from your relationship with the self.

For this work, we highlight two key principles for creation: drawing from one’s personal need, and going into the unknown. In Jerzy Grotowski’s Towards a Poor Theatre, he highlights how the actor can use the text as a scalpel to cut deep into life. To rephrase this, I’ll ask, “How can an actor use a character to examine and analyse the self? / How can a performer use a score or choreography to examine and analyse the self?” For instance, if an actor were to play the role of Hamlet, how can the actor imbue the role with their personality while keeping to the structure/demands of the text? Personalising one’s craft allows for a performer to stand out as an artist who creates, instead of merely one who follows direction.

And here - going into the unknown is important. It’s easier to follow the text, the director, or the “conventional way of performing and acting” to the T, but how can we make actions and choices that are original? Here, I’m using “origin-al” to highlight something that comes/originates from the self. Grappling with uncertainty and having to create your own route is crucial for personalised creation. Because the unknown is scary sometimes. Imagine the fulfilment of creating something personal and original. Imagine the satisfaction of being an artist of your own!

Come for trials to find out more!

This training programme is specifically designed for the Singapore context. The robust systems in place have provided us with certain model answers to follow in life, but what if we want something more personal? You’ll learn how to create your own paths and uncover new possibilities for yourself within your personal context, and you’ll discover how to relate to the prevailing narratives in our society, so that you’ll have more choices for yourself to move towards what you want. In fact, we have had many past participants with zero performance background, and they have shared that ideas explored during the programme have changed the way they thought about things and the way they related with their family, colleagues, and friends.

Given that the education system provides certain model answers for success in Singapore’s meritocratic society, it may be easy to follow the routes and answers given to us. How can we be more creative, so that we can personalise those answers? Perhaps we could even create our own answers! Are there ways to do that while still caring for and being with the people and the community around us?

This programme helps participants to tap on their individual and personal needs to create routes and “answers” for themselves.

With a constant reminder to focus on society’s needs, at times, we may end up satisfied with a mediocre way of living. How can we live a life of our own while still in a caring relation with the people around us? When one is not living a life of their own, it can be easy to be half-hearted in our actions, words, and relationships.

This programme helps participants to uncover their own answers, and in so doing, we hope that they’ll begin to live, act, and relate wholeheartedly. We are meant to be people of action. And when we do things wholeheartedly, we begin to see many more possibilities for ourselves.

The tapping of one’s personal needs to create wholeheartedly is also crucial for a performer to live their truth on stage. We work with physical theatre activities and group discussions to achieve the aims elaborated above.

No - this programme is NOT for everyone. This programme provides the time, space, and process for you to uncover possibilities for your self. And openness to change and uncertainty is crucial for an enriching experience. It can be frustrating to have fixed ideas on ‘what theatre is’, ‘what performer training is’, ‘what self-exploration is’ or ‘what the facilitator should do for you’. Instead, we encourage participants to think about ‘what theatre can be’, ‘what performer training can be’, ‘what self-exploration can be’, or ‘what you can do for yourself’.

No - all of the discussions involve ideas and concepts, and they will be contextualised - ie the ideas will be discussed in relation to the activities in the studio. Even when we begin to personalise the ideas, we only seek to be honest in our discussions. Honesty is about “being”, and it’s not about “baring” one’s self.

The main trainer and developer of the programme is our Artistic Director, Darryl Lim. He has been working on this training process since 2015. The Work On The Self programme is Darryl’s personal response to the work of Jerzy Grotowski, a renowned Polish director known for his work with the actor as a human being (rather than a mere performer). Darryl contextualises the Grotowski-inspired activities and principles for Singapore. In this programme, we encourage each person to uncover their own answers rather than merely following the “answers” given to us by society. Darryl has been refining this process by working with different groups of actors and non-theatre participants from 2015-present, and he completed his Masters Thesis that helped to firm up this process as well. His MA was from the National University of Singapore, under the supervision of Associate Professor Maiya Murphy. He is currently further developing the process as a part of his PhD practice-based research project, similarly under A/P Murphy at NUS. (Thesis title: Confronting Mr Grotowski - Allowing the Personal and the Specific to Emerge in Singapore)

Darryl was mentored by Julius Foo from 2015-2017 - Foo (as a part of Theatre Ox) had trained in the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards from 1999-2002. Darryl has also been in constant dialogue (through training and conversation) with Ang Gey Pin since 2017 - Ang was a member of the Workcenter in 1994 and from 1998-2006.

Finally, Darryl has a decade of experience as an educator and workshop trainer/facilitator - he has worked with participants and students aged 7-50. As an ex-MOE teacher, he has a giant toolbox of pedagogical and facilitation tools that he frequently uses for this programme. He is also a certified coach credited by the Collective Chance Institute (accredited by the International Coaching Federation), and a trained Neuro Linguistic Programming Master Practitioner and Trainer.

No - this programme does not involve working with trauma. This training programme is not therapy. That said, Darryl is trauma-trained, and he uses this knowledge and experience to ensure that the training activities do not involve working with trauma.

Research has shown that performer training activities can, at times, lead participants to highly emotional states. Hence, we take deliberate steps to ensure that systems of care are in place - proper debriefs, cool-downs, and after-session journal-writing are key parts of the programme that help to contain the activities, and ensure physical and emotional safety. Participants are also able to have offline conversations with facilitators whenever needed.

You’ll be encouraged to exert yourself for this programme. However, exercises will be personalised for you if necessary. After all, part of the programme involves exploring the limitations and potentialities of our physical bodies!

We have lots of movement and play-based activities that will be customised for you. Part of the programme involves going into the unknown, so we’ll leave you in suspense :)

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Participants will invest S$195/- for the 5-session programme (Part 1). Should you wish to join both parts of the programme, it’ll cost S$350/-.

Dates, times, and venues can be found on the sign-up page - click the button at the bottom of this page to find out more.

Yes, we hold trial sessions for the programme to provide a short and fruitful experience for pre-participants. Sign up here.

If you would prefer a more personalised programme, 1-to-1 sessions are available. Please check it out here.

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