Pedro Ilgenfritz
An international expert in the field of theatre improvisation and physical theatre, Pedro Ilgenfritz lectures in mask performance at Unitec. A native of Brazil, he has also taught mask improvisation to a group of Te Piriti inmates at Paremoremo featured in the documentary theatre project Walls That Talk: Ngā Pātū Kōrero, led by applied theatre specialist Dr Rand Hazou of Massey University.
Pedro is running a series of theatre mask workshops in Hobsonville Point next month as a way of sharing his craft with his local community. Fresh from a visit home to Florianopolis, we sat down with him recently to talk masks….
Where did you learn mask-performance, or has it evolved naturally from the acting, directing and teaching work you’ve done over the past 20 years?
My first experience with masks was in Florianopolis, Brazil in 1993, under the guidance of my teacher Geraldo Cunha. At that time, I learnt about two types of masks: a neutral mask which is a theatre mask used exclusively for acting training and then the red nose (clown mask). I moved to New Zealand in 2000 and in 2009 had the chance to work with Italian actor and theatre founder Giovanny Fusetti who ran a mask workshop in Wellington. That led me to explore other types too.
What does the use of masks add to a performance?
Masks force actors to express ideas, thoughts, sentiments and actions with their whole body. Most masks impose a limitation on the ability to communicate using the face and voice, which allows the body to become more expressive and the technique more physical. Wearing a mask also requires a process of transformation from one’s own identity into another persona (character), and this is essentially the main idea in theatre.
I believe that masks are the embodiment of the alchemy of theatre, and actors have a lot to gain from training with them, even if they never use them on stage. Mask performance gives a reference point in terms of precision, clarity and economy of gesture and movement. It also helps actors to depersonalise themselves and to understand the passage from the plane of reality to fiction. I use them for pedagogical purposes because it is fun, beautiful, poetic and technically demanding way to teach and learn. And mask performance is an ancient craft – the very first performers only used masks, and Asian theatre is still fundamentally masked.
Is there initial reticence in putting on a mask, or do you think performers prefer to wear a mask because it helps with characterisation?
Masks are a mystery. They’ve been around a long time – since the beginning of theatre and performance they’ve been used for rituals and religious purposes. It’s not easy to deal with the idea of having our own identity temporarily interrupted but I believe we all want to live other existences and have an innate pleasure in miming other beings and things. The idea of shape shifting, transforming and becoming “other” is very attractive. But that doesn’t happen randomly, and one needs to learn the craft behind mask performance. The challenge is always to surrender to the technique and to find ways to animate the mask through physical actions. This process is not easy, because we all tend to move and behave in set ways. To be able to carry the mask well, you need to give up your personal mannerisms and behaviour.
Did you pick up anything new from your recent trip to Florianopolis?
Going to Florianopolis is a home coming for me. That’s where I started and to be able to return with a box filled with masks and to teach a workshop is like closing the circle. I had the opportunity to show my work to former colleagues and collaborators and to get their feedback. I have never taught and directed mask work in my own language before and my biggest learning experience on this trip was to see what works and what doesn’t with Portuguese language. English is very concise and direct, Portuguese is excessive and wordy. I had to keep the language to its bare minimum in order to make the masks believable.
Why are you bringing your theatre mask workshops to Hobsonville Point?
I moved to Hobsonville Point in 2017, my daughter goes to the local primary school, and we have made many friends in the area. It’s a new community and an exciting place to live. Many locals have asked me to run a workshop for non-actors because they’re curious and intrigued about masks. I think a mask workshop is a great way to foster a community of people who are interested in arts, performance and want to have an acting experience. Personally, I want theatre and performance to have more presence and visibility in my local community; there is great potential there and an avid audience for cultural and artistic events.
The free workshops will run at Hobsonville Point Primary School on 4, 11, 18 and 25 November, from 6.30-9.30pm, and are open to all Hobsonville Point residents. They are funded by Home Land Company, Hobsonville Point Resident Society and Hobsonville Point Primary School.
To register, please contact pedroilgenfritz@gmail.com