Brisbane-based physical theatre company Zen Zen Zo claims to be at the forefront of actor training and contemporary performance in Australia, having developed its own style of training and performance forged from the Suzuki Method of Actor Training, the Viewpoints and Butoh. In this paper, I propose that training seeks to create what I call the ‘extraordinary body’ of the performer, one that is physically dynamic and engaging. Further, I argue that this body is a philosophical construct underpinned by the company’s appropriation of Mikhail Bakhtin’s carnival theories, giving rise to a body that is transgressive and unsettling.
What then becomes of this extraordinary body as it is placed in the process of creating work for the stage? By examining how the extraordinary body works in Zen Zen Zo’s use of the Composition method, I question the assumptions placed on this body, suggesting that is ultimately a limited entity.
Keywords: Zen Zen Zo—Suzuki Method of Actor Training—the Viewpoints—Butoh—‘extraordinary (EO) body’—Composition
