What kind of techniques does Iron Age use?

Improvs

1. Real Time Explorations: This is a hallmark of the Iron Age Experience. At least once during the rehearsal process and often times more, actors are sent on improvisations which live in the real world. A father and daughter character are sent to the mall to buy a present for another character. A young couple who will be using a bag of dirt for a classroom activity on childcare in The Speed of Darkness, leave the theater and fill the bag in character as the script explains. In Requiem for a Heavyweight, Mountain and his manager go to the fights at Philadelphia's Blue Horizon. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, McMurphy escapes a rehearsal with his crazies in tow and has a meal at Denny's, unknown to him Nurse Ratched appears at the diner mid meal. In every activity, the director watch but avoid participation. They finally, on location debrief the actors.

Additionally, The actors take a trip each production to an appropriate real word environment for observation and experience. During Simpatico the cast went to the horse races. During The Speed of Darkness, The cast visited the Vietnam Memorial in DC and exchanges gifts with Rolling Thunder, a Viet Nam veterans group. For Sound of a Voice, The actors shared a large Japanese meal in traditional style. All of these events give a richness to the performances that would be impossible without the trips. And through director's guidance, the events are melded to the rehearsal process and the script.

2. Prior History: Iron Age theater makes a concerted effort to build full histories for every one of the characters on stage, even those with small roles. Every actor deserves the respect of the production and must understand their worth to the plot and the ideas of the play. This is done improvisationally but these improvs allow the actor to be in a semi-realistic environment.

3. Emotional Development: Under development

4. Abstract: Using appropriate music and possibly the actual music for the show. The actors break the boundaries of their real characters to explore the ideas of the play in a completely physical fashion. The body if often the key to understanding the human experience and to Strong Physical work, like smashing something with a baseball bat or ax, moving large heavy objects , completing physical tasks, allows the actor to integrate his body with the work.