Your reports Find reports Who were/are our theatre heroes? What did they give us and do we still have it? Who were/are our theatre heroes? What did they give us and do we still have it? William Wollen, 19 September 2012 We had loads of different heroes and heroines- people who were dead people who were alive people who had made us say “I want to do that!” people who had disappointed us when we met them people we were still in awe of (a few people we'd quite fancied) people we'd grown out of people we still had imaginary conversations with and gave us imaginary advice a lot of them were people who'd given us permission people who made us say “wow” people who'd broken rules and done things we'd never thought of some heroes who'd just started things off for others to finish people who found ways of challenging the dominant social view a lot of our heroes were teachers but just because they were great teachers didn't mean they made the greatest work dead heroes can be the easiest ones to talk to Here are some of our heroes: Bob Wilson - I want to do that Peter and Nettie Rumney - challenging challenging children Mark Murphy Meyerhold - biomechanics Jane Briers - what are you really doing? Forkbeard Fantasy - permission to be silly and not grow up Augusto Boal - he liked one of helim's shows and sent will an email Samuel Beckett - purity Rose English - is she wearing a wig? can we go further Bobby Baker - saying hello to Harlem Tom Morris - helping people take risks Mark Rylance - saying those words for the first time Viola Spolin Michel St Denis - rigour Kneehigh - everybody contributes Keith Johnstone Stelark - that guy with the hooks in his face Antonio Fava Philippe Gaullier - Anne Bogart John Mowat - don't blame the furniture Joan Littlewood Peepolykus - that show with Javier left on stage Rudolf Laban - that work - discipline John McGrath (the alive one) John McGrath (the dead one) Told by an Idiot Ronnie Burcket Welfare State Margot Fontaine Improbable DV8 Jacques Le Coq - engaging with materials Michael Chekhov Michel St Denis Femi Osofisan - questioning Uta Hagen - respect They've given us inspiration, permission and a place to go back to. Sorry if I've spelt any of them wrong. In the discussion: Will, Alex, Brian, Estelle, Jo, Phelim, Kene Tags: Spolin, hero, permission, Hagen, Theatre, theatre hero, Michael Chekhov, Rylance, Gaullier, Mowat, Laban, Bogart, Osofisan, Beckett, Bobby Baker, Burcket, Tom Morris, theatre