VPLYV JACQUA COPEAUA NA METODIKU HERECKEJ PRÍPRAVY MICHELA SAINT-DENISA: OD PRAXE ŠKOLY ÉCOLE DU VIEUX-COLOMBIER PO SÚBOR COMPAGNIE DES QUINZE

The transmission of actor training is a complex topic within theatre studies. Michel Saint-Denis’ actor pedagogy, often neglected by theatre historians, is an exemplary case study for two main reasons. Firstly, he (Jacques Copeau’s nephew, student and heirs) was the first to translate the acting practices rediscovered in the École du Vieux-Colombier and by the Copiaus group into a fixed method. Secondly, he led and adapted Copeau’s teachings in the anglophone theatrical world. This study explores the first institutional context created by Saint-Denis that also constitutes the prototype of his pedagogy: the London Theatre Studio, founded in 1935 and active until the outbreak of World War II. The study investigates the transition from an entirely experimental practice – that is, the research undertaken by Copeau with his pupils – to an established method. This system was conceived for transmission, and therefore standardised. Saint-Denis appears to be the custodian of Copeau’s legacy, responsible for translating a combination of experimental workshops into a structured method and for their further development in acting school programmes. Furthermore, upon his relocation from France to England, Saint-Denis contaminates the British theatrical milieu, becoming the link between two different theatre cultures.