Jurij Alschitz
The Actor in Superposition*
New Technologies of Acting
Research Seminar
For advanced practicing actors and directors only.
Premiere: for the first time, Dr Jurij Alschitz will talk about innovations in acting practice resulting from the application of quantum physics. At first glance they may seem impossible, but at second glance they show us the way to pioneering forms of acting. With professional actors and directors, he is looking for the practical test. Even if online, participants can expect a seminar full of exercises, experiments and, above all, surprises. Target group: Professionals who are interested in crossing boundaries.
In 2025 the world celebrates 100 years of quantum mechanics with the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.
* Superposition is a key principle in quantum physics which describes how a particle, like an electron or photon, can exist in multiple states at the same time. For example, it can be in different positions or have different energy levels simultaneously, until it is measured, at which point it collapses into one state.
Jurij Alschitz
The Actor in Superposition – seminar offers advanced actors a unique opportunity to go beyond conventional acting and explore new, paradoxical approaches based on the principles of quantum physics. We will work with concepts such as “superposition”, “quantum leap”, “reality breakthrough” and other quantum paradoxes to create a new space for acting, in which the actor becomes both protagonist and an observer. We will explore to exist in multiple states and in total uncertainty, where the decision is made instantly, depending on the moment, without pre-set conditions.
During the seminar, you will learn to be in different states of acting simultaneously, trust your intuition, and rearrange familiar patterns of interaction with the text, partners, and the stage. The key goal is to free the actor from conventional patterns and allow them to break out of linear logic, creating unconventional, unexpectedly emerging images and situations. Each action on stage becomes a quantum choice, instantly changing the reality of the performance, opening the door to new, unexpected solutions and emotional states.
In the seminar we will contextualise ‘quantum concepts’ with acting practice and explore how the application of quantum physics principles can change the actor’s perception and methods. We will ask ourselves a number of questions:
Questions Regarding Quantum Effects in Acting
Schrödinger’s Cat
How can an actor exist simultaneously in multiple states — being alive and dead, acting and not acting, speaking and silent, visible and invisible? How can this ambiguity be embedded into the acting process, allowing the actor to be in different states without taking a definite decision?
Instant Transformation
How can an actor undergo an instantaneous transformation, jumping into another reality when their role suddenly changes, and they find themselves in another “time” and “place”?
Reality Breakthrough
How can an actor break through the boundaries of the familiar reality of their role, experiencing a moment when everything changes in one instant, and they find themselves in a new state of play, as if making a hole in the usual structure?
Flash of Transition
How can an actor experience an instantaneous flash, when their role and the scene change so abruptly and unexpectedly, that they literally “jump” from one state to another, disregarding the conventional laws of time and space?
Butterfly Effect
How can small, seemingly insignificant changes in an actor’s actions lead to radical changes in the development of a performance? How can an actor understand and manage this effect on stage?
Quantum Leap
How can an actor make an instantaneous leap into a new reality, when all familiar boundaries collapse in a single second, and they find themselves in a different time, place, with different people?
Time Tunnel
How can an actor “fall through” the barrier of their role, overcoming limitations that are usually perceived as impossible to cross? Can actors pass through the “impossible” and find themselves in a space where role and play become something entirely different?
Teacher
Teaching Language
English
Format
If you cannot attend one of the sessions, you can watch it online.
Mode of operation
2 sessions | 3 hours each
Certification
A Certificate will be issued by the World Theatre Training Institute AKT-ZENT | Research Centre of the International Theatre Institute.
Conditions: 100% attendance in the online sessions.
Cost
150 €
120 € early bird price until 30 April.
Course dates and Registration
Register until 30 April and get the early bird discount!
Click on the icon to register
The Actor in Superposition (24+25 May 2025)
If it is not possible to attend this course at the times you see above, you can express your wish to be informed about future dates by filling out the contact form.