Experiencing Bruce Marrs’ Mask Making Workshop

 [part 2 of Bruce Marrs’ Masks article by Deborah Bell]

 Mask makers who also perform, such as Bruce Marrs, initiate a more profound exploration into the characterization process.  Last year I decided that I needed to revisit the world of the performer’s creative process in order to better understand how I might contribute more as a designer.  I have not involved myself with the performer’s creative process of creating a role since my college years, though much of my work culminates within the final interpretation of the performer.  After team-teaching a course on “The Mask in Performance” twice with my esteemed colleague, actor/director/choreographer, Marsha Paludan, I concluded that I took for granted the performer’s 

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Bruce Marrs working with Sigal Shoham, one of the students at the mask making workshop at Dell'Arte  International School of Physical Theatre, June, 2001.

Will Evans and Sabina Vajraca wearing papier mache masks created in Marrs' mask workshop. Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre, June,  2001

exploratory process for interpreting characterization and began to ask myself what I might take from that process as a designer to create more depth of characterization.  Mask makers who also perform such as Bruce Marrs and others who participated at the Iowa Mask Conference reaffirmed for me the need to go back to the basics of the performer’s exploratory process in the effort to create character.

My husband occasionally recites from W. B. Yeats’ A Prayer for My Daughter, “How but in custom and ceremony are innocence and beauty reborn?”  The designer and performer should regularly revisit the basic creative processes used in both design and performance to achieve a sort of revitalization in the effort to create character.  The performer ritualistically visits the process of creating a character, often using a series of performer-specific exploration techniques in much the same way as a designer often uses a series of designer-specific exploration techniques.   

I wanted to revisit the world of the performer’s creative process.   While admitting that such a visit held tremendous appeal, I could not ignore the fact that I am not a performer and ultimately the exploration of the performer’s process would demand that I make a proverbial fool of myself in front of snickering or even worse, totally bored audience members.  Thus I approached the process of exploration in performance preparation with a mixture of trepidation, dread, and fascination.  Somehow, the prospect of attempting to perform (and ultimately exploring the process of performing) seemed much more intimidating than it had in my college years, when I understood less well the characteristics of a good performance and blissfully had far less awareness of my own limitations. 

 After learning that Bruce Marrs offered an annual summer mask-making workshop that also introduced basic performance exploration techniques with the mask at Dell’Arte International I decided to sign up for it.  (In addition to working with Bruce for two weeks, I studied commedia dell’arte performance techniques with Joan Schirle and Ole Brekke at Dell’Arte International as well.)

 Bruce’s sense of humor and playful spirit helped me regain my balance and a bit of confidence. 

In addition to an examination of papier-mâché and neoprene mask-making techniques Bruce spent as much time on the process of creating the character, often utilizing movement techniques, improvisation, ensemble work, and performance work with music. 

He emphasized the “zeroes” of the mask—that is, the essential states of the mask.  He pointed out that all successful masks have more than one emotional state or essence—or zero.  A mask is “dead” if it can only express one state of being.   A successful mask should allow an expert performer to create a sense of dramatic tension in the mask and evoke several different emotional states.  The mask maker and the masked performer must find several zeroes in the mask to make it come alive.  Often they can take great delight in discovering and showing the “counter” zero as well.

 We spent a great deal of time learning how to trust the power of the mask.  “The mask loses focus when it moves too much.  Work for economy of movement.” he frequently reminded us.  “Remember that we are vertebrate creatures.  Actions in the body resonate into the mask.  Consider the walk of the deer and its head.  The actor becomes involved in non-specific actions when a movement momentum takes over or dominates the performer’s presence.  Avoid this ‘modern dance’ approach in masked performance.”

 Sheila Kerrigan’s recent book entitled Collaborative Creativity held new meaning after taking Bruce’s mask-making workshop.  She describes the necessity for understanding and practicing body language skills and creative thinking skills in group improvisational work.  Bruce demonstrated important aspects of his creative process as a mask maker/designer and performer by showing how to integrate these skills at the most basic level to achieve a more vivid characterization with the mask.  

 Bruce showed me how to more fully appreciate the challenges of the performer and how I might use the performer’s vocabulary to help contribute to the performer’s vision of character.  I highly recommend this workshop and others offered by Dell’Arte International to designers interested in exploring processes of creating characterization from a performer’s perspective.  I now think of mask work in a completely different way.

 go on to Bruce Marrs’ Tips for Papier-Mâché Mask Making