ABSTRACT
Physical skills are as essential for performers in text-based theatre as in any other form. One can see the size and shape of the scenes, and which scenes will need to be preset before the play begins. A writer creating a text for a specific space has to have a visual and spatial imagination to write effective scenes, and there is a logic in the writer and the director being one and the same person. Exploiting the physical power of the performer in the space can illuminate the text, especially if the performers feel confident that they are the primary storytellers. Physical skills are as essential for performers in text-based theatre as in any other form. Some designers will say they need to do nothing more than skim the text, simply noting the change of locations in each scene, and leaving the rest to the director to sort out.
