Keystone Theatre is developing works in the style of the classic silent film comedies of Keystone Films, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, etc.

The idea for the original project “The Belle of Winnipeg” (Nov 2009) grew out of a discussion about just how rare it is to see physical comedy respected in the local theatre scene, and just how difficult it is to explore that work because of it. We decided to develop a play in the style of a silent film because of its accessibility, its history and popularity, and because it created a perfect opportunity to bring high quality slapstick comedy to the modern stage.

This new work was created through a series of workshops designed to develop a new set of skills for the actors and a unique performance style for the company. The Keystone Style begins with the Character Keys work developed by Keystone Theatre’s Artistic Director, Richard Beaune. This work combines some basic Laban work with body centre work and Michael Chekhov’s Psychological Gesture to create a physical vocabulary for creating and defining characters through the body. Once this foundation is established, high contrasts in movement are used to highlight important moments and actors create a stage version of the close up by “Giving Face”. The result is a dynamic performance style completely unique to Keystone Theatre.