Neutral Masks

“Beneath every mask, expressive masks or commedia dell’arte masks, there is a neutral mask supporting all the others. When a student has experienced this neutral starting point his body will be freed, like a blank page on which drama can be inscribed”

“A character experiences conflict, has a history, a past, a context, passions. On the contrary, a neutral mask puts the actor in a state of perfect balance and economy of movement. Movement work based on neutrality provides a series of fulcrum points which will be essential for acting, which comes later”

“The neutral mask opens up the actor to the space around him. It puts him in a state of discovery, of openness, of freedom to receive. It allows him to watch, to hear, to feel, to touch elementary things with the freshness of beginnings”

Le Corps poétique – Jacques Lecoq