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There are over 150 BFA and MFA acting programs in the US today, nearly all of which claim to prepare students for theatre careers. Peter Zazzali contends that the curricula of these courses represent an ethos that is as outdated as it is limited, given today's shrinking job market for stage actors.
Acting in the Academy traces the history of actor training in universities to make the case for a move beyond standard courses in voice and speech, movement, or performance, to develop an entrepreneurial model that motivates and encourages students to create their own employment opportunities. This book answers questions such as:
How has the League of Professional Theatre Training Programs shaped actor training in the US?
How have training programmes and the acting profession developed in relation to one another?
What impact have these developments had on American acting as an art form?
Acting in the Academy calls for a reconceptualization of actor training the US, and looks to newly empower students of performance with a fresh, original perspective on their professional development.
List of contents
Chapter 1 The Challenges Facing US Acting and Actor Training Today
Chapter 2 20th Century US Acting and Actor Training: From Stanislavsky to the
League
Chapter 3 Putting the League in Its Socio-historical Context
Chapter 4 Exploring the League’s "Uneasy Dichotomy" With Higher Education
Chapter 5 The Rise of the "New Breed" of American Actors and the League’s
Dissolution
Chapter 6 Empowering Actors: An Entrepreneurial Approach
About the author
Peter Zazalli is Assistant Professor of Theatre at the University of Kansas.
Summary
Acting in the Academy looks at ways of re-empowering students as they prepare for a career in performance, contending that many aspects of contemporary actor training in the US are outdated and limiting. Peter Zazzali calls for a reconceptualization of the standard courses in voice and speech, movement, or performanc
