ACTOR AS STORYTELLER: FROM NEUTRAL MASK TO SPOKEN WORD POETRY

In a B.A. Stanislavsky-based actor-training course progression, students are usually exposed to texts from contemporary to classical works. In utilizing the Stanislavsky system as the foundational acting technique, students learn to build acting/performance skills, by engaging with these texts through monologue and/or scene study. This thesis details my process of researching, creating and teaching my proposed acting course: Actor as Storyteller. This course, specifically designed as an acting course under a BA theatre curriculum, poses the question: In reimagining actor-training, within the context of performative devisement, what performance skills can actors gain if ‘telling the story’ is the focus? The course emphasizes the creation and performance of actor-generated original work. The performance methods utilized are improvisation, mask work, pantomime, puppet play and spoken word poetry. These performance methods are explored in conjunction with selected elements of various voice, movement, and acting techniques. This cross-curricular course design makes Actor as Storyteller an ideal acting course to include in a B.A. actor-training curriculum; because it complements the multi-disciplinary structure of a Liberal Arts Education. The skills garnered from this, actor training-into-creation process, prepares students for the demands of the ever-changing world of theatre, film, and television. Additionally, it empowers students as self- producing artists in the unknown world of performance