ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the words of Jacques Lecoq in order to understand more fully what he thought about contemporary theatre, the pursuit of acting and the how and what of his own teaching. Lecoq's school offers a method of working – which gives them access to a shared tool kit for making theatre and, if relevant, using text. The argument is that, for a pedagogy which aspires to prepare actors for the theatre – rather than, to train sociologists, historians or cultural theorists – book learning can never be a substitute for creative work. There is some evidence that Lecoq had little time for what he regarded as a pretentious theorising of art or theatre practice, and, certainly, there was often delight in the apparent purity of a simple, uncomplicated gesture or action. Significant feature of Lecoq's pedagogical style, and one that must inevitably reflect a broader philosophical perspective, is his attitude towards absolutes and intellectual authority.
