Extremely Minimalist Acting

Sir John Actor has won great acclaim with his turn as the titular King Lear at the Old Vic this season. The performance involves him not being present on stage for two and a half hours of the three hour play, an approach which Sir John describes as 'extremely minimalistic'.

"With most actors you might be concerned if they're not around for the majority of the play," said director, Sir Terrence Director. "But not Sir John. Some performers can convey a character with just a smattering of dialogue; some purely through facial expression or the way they move. But Sir John has taken his stagecraft one step further. He can give a truly inspiring performance without even stepping out from the wings. In fact, for most of the show he's not even in the building and we have to go and drag him out of the pub next door."

The performance that really got the critics going, however, took place last week while Sir John was on holiday in St Kitts, during which he only appeared in one scene, via Skype. The Mail on Sunday described it as probably the most powerful thing seen on a London stage since Sir Lawrence Olivier's performance as Henry V at the National Theatre, much of which was sent in on a postcard.