Nir Paldi, Co-Artistic Director of Theatre Ad Infinitum, reveals who has inspired him throughout his career.
Jacque Lecoq
I grew up in Israel and trained at the Jaques Lecoq school in Paris. I never met Lecoq himself, but his pedagogy has had the greatest influence on my work. For me, the Lecoq method is a piece of art in its own right. It's a way of looking at life. One of my favourite things about it is that it creates a very disciplined and strict framework for you to learn within, but at the same time it encourages you to rebel against it. While I was studying at the school in Paris, I was given a profound sense of creative freedom that I had never experienced before. The teaching of Lecoq is always in my mind when I'm working, whether I'm rebelling against its strict rules or following them like a good student.
Ariane Mnouchkine
Watching the huge eight-hour spectacle directed by Ariane Mnouchkine that is Le Derner Caravanserail at Theatre Du Soleil in Paris, I was completely awe struck. The time flew by as intricate stories unfolded beautifully, interweaving with one another. The grandeur of the piece as a whole contrasted with the importance given to the individuality of each one of the performers in a cast of over 30 is what inspired me most.
David Grossman
There aren't many Israelis who can see the complexity of the situation in Israel while still living there. Most people have to move away in order to get perspective. But the author, David Grossman, is one person who can. While writing the anti-war novel To The End Of The Land, depicting the emotional strain that family members experience when their loved ones are deployed as soldiers, he lost his own son in combat during the 2nd Lebanon war. The book and it's resonance with reality shook me to the core and was one of the things that drove me to create 'Ballad of the Burning Star'.
Avraham Dana
Dana was my first acting teacher. He trained with Jacques Lecoq, some 50 years ago. Dana's physical approach to theatre making was the right one for my very confused teenage self. Each one of his acting classes was as dramatic as a theatre piece; his uncompromising passion for everything concerning theatre created a drama that you could feel vibrate in the studio and enter your bones. He allowed me to go very far as a young creative and laid the foundations for my theatre-making career.
My Gran - Bracha Avrahami
My Gran was 58 when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer. She struggled with the horrible disease off and on for 16 years and died at the age of 74. Throughout the 16 years of her struggle she never complained. She used to say that for her cancer is just like any other illness, like having the Flu - it's unpleasant but you have to get through the unpleasantness and try to get on with your life. Her down to earth approach, her positivity and her way of focusing on the important things in life continue to be a great inspiration for me.
Nir Paldi is Co-Artistic Director of Theatre Ad Infinitum and writer, director, actor, Ballad of the Burning Star (31 July — 26 August Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh, Queen Dome 5:15pm)
www.theatreadinfinitum.co.uk