Chamber theatre is a theatrical approach to performing narrative literature

What is chamber theatre? According to the 3 explanations published online, in the 1st explanation, the chamber theater is an interpretation of literary works put on the stage, usually a majority of the text is kept in-tact. Minimal set pieces, costumes do not always suggest the character. In the 2nd explanation, the chamber theatre is a style advocated by Robert Breen as a theatrical approach to performing narrative literature. It is a still-evolving form, so do not hesitate to experiment to find the most effective and appropriate ways to make the script come alive as theatre. Most of its techniques are the same as those in Story Theatre, since both use the same basic approach to full-stage performance. In the 3rd explanation, the chamber theatre is a method of adapting literary works to the stage using a maximal amount of the work's original text and often minimal and suggestive settings. The narration is included in the performed text and the narrator might be played by multiple actors.



In the article, it said that Professor Robert S. Breen (1909-1991) introduced "Chamber Theater" to his Oral Interpretation Classes at Northwestern University in 1947. Northwestern’s Professor of Performance Studies Frank Galati, who studied Chamber Theater with Dr. Breen, has directed highly acclaimed Chamber Theater Productions for the Goodman Theater and Steppenwolf Theater Companies in Chicago. Galati’s Chamber Theater adaptation of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath won two Tony Awards on Broadway. One of the most famous and elaborate examples of chamber theatre is David Edgar's The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, in which Charles Dickens' characters narrate themselves in third person. Set pieces are carried in and taken away during the performance, rather than between scenes, and objects may be represented in a mimetic manner. Another example is Matthew Spangler's stage adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's novel The Kite Runner.



The Filipino Chamber Theatre version really gives emphasis to the importance of a genre and a literary chic used as a theatrical approach to performing narrative literature. The 4th year students of Professional Academy of the Philippines (PAP) in Cebu have rendered fully the Filipino version of Chamber Theatre based on adapting literary works to the stage using a maximal amount of the work's original text and often minimal and suggestive settings. Observe how they categorically interpret and perform on stage. Enjoy and watch the sui generis Chamber Theatre…  


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