Handbook

What are actors doing when they perform? Why do actors build characters and engage spectators in such different ways? How does acting embody beliefs about the world and who we are? There are many styles of acting and experienced actors draw on various techniques. In this course you will explore both acting and performing and in theory and practice. This will involve looking into major approaches to actor training such as those developed by Stanislavsky, Meyerhold, Brecht, Grotowski, and/or Boal. You will learn how their approaches constitute responses to the issues of their day, and how modernist modes of acting have been transformed by postmodern performers. The course combines lecture and tutorial teaching with studio-based workshops. It culminates in a group presentation that showcases a range of approaches to performing.