The Illogical is Liberating: ding Freedom in a Confined World

Dan Graham and Dr Robert Lewis will discuss unique approaches to directing and actor training as neurodivergent theatre practitioners. As society evolves, so too do perspectives on actor training. Understandings of acting and human traits and behaviours shift over time, influenced by broader social changes. Significant transformations in societal structures directly impact how actors are trained, with current priorities including decolonisation, inclusion, diversity, identity politics, neurodiversity, and the well-being of performers. It is essential to respond to these developments with an actor or student-centred approach. Training methods should explore both cultural identity and individuality, actively challenging the idea of a singular “default” in opposition to an “other.” Graham and Lewis have embarked on several research projects on acting and neurodiversity, and Stanislavski has been a linchpin throughout their careers. Lewis will discuss how alternate perspectives primarily influenced by Butoh coupled with fundamental Stanislavski systems have unlocked imaginations in neurodiverse students and actors, and Graham will continue with his approach as a director balancing inclusivity and individual needs of the actors, with a strong Stanislavski base.

Butoh is important because it addresses the need for interior exploration as well as exploring symbolism, oppositional tension, ritual, and overall, a search for a new method of channelling actors’ energy, as opposed to the Stanislavski method which is ‘based on an understanding of the way we behave in our daily lives, which [is then used] when creating a character’ (Benedetti 1998, p.2). Tatsumi Hijikata, one of the founders of Butoh, stated that in the ‘Stanislavski system…man [sic] finds himself in a narrow and constricted world’ (Masson-Sekine & Viala, 1988 p.185). How can we balance exploratory approaches that fosters individuality and freedom, and formal structure at the same time?