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Acting & Performance

This section contains content on the craft of acting, created by performers of all types.

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On Devising in the Classroom
Podcast
On Devising in the Classroom
by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder, Andy Paris, Emily K. Harrison
16 April 2024
Resisting “Yes, And” Culture and Learning to Say No
Essay
Resisting “Yes, And” Culture and Learning to Say No
by Sara Božin
8 January 2024
Evolving Our World Through the Power of an Actor’s Empathy
Essay
Evolving Our World Through the Power of an Actor’s Empathy
by Yura Sapi
2 November 2023
seven actors onstage
"What does it mean to be a woman of color and in leadership?"
Essay

"What does it mean to be a woman of color and in leadership?"

A Conversation with Nicole Brewer and Sophia Skiles

19 January 2021

Sophia Skiles, the incoming head of acting for the Brown/Trinity MFA program, and Nicole Brewer, who recently joined the acting faculty at the Yale School of Drama, dive deep into a conversation about what it means to be a woman of color in leadership.

an actor onstage
Write the Software and Let the World Have It
Essay

Write the Software and Let the World Have It

Forty Years of Internet Performance

14 January 2021

In this article for the Performing the Internet series, Miller Puckette and Onyx Ashanti get together for a conversation about the changing landscape of multimedia technology in the arts, how technologically mediated performance practices have taken on new relevance in the post-COVID era, and more.

youtube screenshot
“Model User Behavior”
Essay

“Model User Behavior”

13 January 2021

As part of the Performing the Internet series, Martim Galvão and Todd Anderson have a conversation about the unconscious “performance” and emotional journey of web browsing, internet mixtapes, building websites for performance, and more.

actors on stage
From the Source, Seeds for a Myriad of Worlds
CAATA
text teAda productions theater of color
TeAda Productions
Video

From the Source, Seeds for a Myriad of Worlds

Part of Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists’ ConFest Virtual Series

Monday 14 December 2020
United States

Consortium of Asian American Theaters and Artists (CAATA) presented the conversation and performance From the Source, Seeds for a Myriad of Worlds livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 14 December 2020 at 1 p.m. HST (Honolulu, UTC-10), 2 p.m. AKDT (Juneau, UTC-9), 3 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC-8), 4 p.m. MST (Denver, UTC-7), 5 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC-6), 6 p.m. EST (New York, UTC-5).

Downtown Variety: Take 16
CultureHub Logo
CultureHub
La MaMa Logo
La MaMa
Video

Downtown Variety: Take 16

Bringing La MaMa's 1960s café aesthetic to a virtual platform that links performers and audiences in real time across distance

Friday 11 December 2020
United States

La MaMa and CultureHub presented Downtown Variety: Take 16 livestreaming on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 11 December 2020 at 5 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 7 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 8 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5).

Readymade Cabaret 2.0
black and white graphic of smoking pipe with showerhead attachment
This Is Not A Theatre Company
Video

Readymade Cabaret 2.0

In which both the play’s scenes and the order in which they are performed are determined by the audience’s roll of the dice

Sunday 6 December 2020
United States

This Is Not A Theatre Company presented a performance of Readymade Cabaret 2.0 livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Sunday 6 December 2020 at 11 a.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 1 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 2 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5).

Performers as a Conduit Between the Spiritual World and the Stage
Tebere Arts Foundation
NBO musical theatre initiative logo.
Nairobi Musical Theatre Initiative
Video

Performers as a Conduit Between the Spiritual World and the Stage

The Stories Women Carry: Creative Practice of African Women from the Continent

Monday 23 November 2020
Uganda

Tebere Arts Foundation presented the conversation Performers as a Conduit Between the Spiritual World and the Stage with The Stories Women Carry: Creative Practice of African Women from the Continent livestreaming on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 23 November 2020 at 9 a.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 12 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) / 8 p.m. EAT (Nairobi, UTC +3).

Mute Swan
CultureHub Logo
CultureHub
La MaMa Logo
La MaMa
Video

Mute Swan

Experiments in Digital Storytelling

Monday 16 November 2020
United States

CultureHub and La MaMa presented a performance of Mute Swan livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 16 November at 4 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 6 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 7 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5) AND AT 6 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 8 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 9 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5).

three people standing outside
Liberating Terror
Essay

Liberating Terror

Clown and Activism

13 November 2020

Sayda Trujillo talks about white supremacy’s prevalence in clown pedagogy and shares how the invincible spirit of the clown has shaped her, “seeping through every tiny crack possible to make itself present to speak, to laugh, to sing, to bounce, to witness, and to encounter.”

a clown kissing a clear riot shield
Antiauthoritarian Clowning
Essay

Antiauthoritarian Clowning

A Tactical Review

12 November 2020

L.M. Bogad shares the story of the beginnings of Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army, several tenets of “clownfrontational” tactics, examples of rebel clowning in a different contexts, and more.

three clowns posing with a handmade banner
Action and Reaction / Acción Y Reacción
Essay

Action and Reaction / Acción Y Reacción

The Experience of a Chilensis Clown Circus Theatre Company / Experiencia de una compañía chilensis de circo teatro payasx

11 November 2020

Members of Chile’s Compañía Siató—Valentina Paz Berger Correa, Jean Carlo Montecinos Carreño, Hernán Enrique Huerta Vargas, and Felipe Jesús Pereira Godoy—discuss clowning across Latin America; their show Sacrilegio, which denounces and ridicules religion, the church, and the police; the political duty of the artist; and more.

a group posing for a photo in front of a white van with "democracy" written on it
Can a Clown Be an Activist?
Essay

Can a Clown Be an Activist?

9 November 2020

Nathaniel Justiniano and Amrita Dhaliwal kick off the clown, bouffon, and activism series, talking about how the clown world has a racism problem and introducing the four contributors who practice their art around the world.

photo of half-closed laptop with screen lit up
unmuted
purple ink with white text honest accomplice theatre
Honest Accomplice Theatre
Video

unmuted

Exploring themes of (dis)connection to our ancestry, to this moment, and to each other

Sunday 1 November 2020
United States

Honest Accomplice Theatre presented a performance of unmuted livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Sunday 1 November 2020 at 4 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 6 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 7 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5).

actors onstage
Glory
reactor logo.
Reactor
Video

Glory

One of eight performances written by eight contemporary Romanian playwrights, presented by Reactor

Thursday 28 October 2020
Romania

Reactor presented a performance of Glory livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 29 October 2020 at 11 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 2 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 18:00 GMT (London, UTC +0) / 20:00 EET (Cluj, UTC +2)

actor on stage
All's Well That Ends
reactor logo.
Reactor
Video

All's Well That Ends

One of eight performances written by eight contemporary Romanian playwrights, presented by Reactor

Tuesday 27 October 2020
Romania

Reactor presented a performance of All's Well That Ends livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 27 October 2020 at 11 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -5) / 2 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 20:00 CEST (Cluj, UTC +3).

person in a bed, holding a book.
The Roma from the Duvet or Enter the Majority (Slovakia)
Independent Theater Hungary logo.
Independent Theater Hungary
Video

The Roma from the Duvet or Enter the Majority (Slovakia)

As part of the Roma Theatre Retrospective 2020

Tuesday 27 October 2020
Slovakia

Independent Theater Hungary presented a performance and conversation around The Roma from the Duvet or Enter the Majority (Slovakia) as part of the Roma Theatre Retrospective 2020 livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 27 October 2020 at 9:30 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 12:30 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 16:30 GMT (London, UTC +0) / 17:30 CEST (Budapest, UTC +1) / 18:30 EET (Bucharest, UTC +2).

two actors onstage
Towards a Fat Theatre
Essay

Towards a Fat Theatre

Reimagining Bodies Onstage

26 October 2020

Jeff Bouthiette notes that the pandemic has provided an opportunity to reevaluate and rethink everything about the way theatre is created in America, argues that this work has to include fat people, and offers suggestions for a way forward.

actor dances onstage
Our Little Centenary
reactor logo.
Reactor
Video

Our Little Centenary

One of eight performances written by eight contemporary Romanian playwrights, presented by Reactor

Sunday 25 October 2020
Romania

Reactor presented a performance of Our Little Centenary livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Sunday 25 October 2020 at 11 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -5) / 2 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 18:00 GMT (London, UTC +0) / 19:00 CET (Berlin, UTC +1) / 20:00 EET (Cluj, UTC +2).

actors on stage
Not Us, Not Ever
reactor logo.
Reactor
Video

Not Us, Not Ever

One of eight performances written by eight contemporary Romanian playwrights, presented by Reactor

Friday 23 October 2020
Romania

Reactor presented a performance of Not Us, Not Ever livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 23 October 2020 at 10 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -5) / 1 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 20:00 CEST (Cluj, UTC +3).

woman under green light
Finally the End
reactor logo.
Reactor
Video

Finally the End

One of eight performances written by eight contemporary Romanian playwrights, presented by Reactor

Sunday 18 October 2020
Romania

Reactor presented a performance of Finally the End livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Sunday 18 October 2020 at 10 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -5) / 1 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 20:00 CEST (Cluj, UTC +3).

Who killed Szomna Grancsa? (Romania)
Independent Theater Hungary logo.
Independent Theater Hungary
Video

Who killed Szomna Grancsa? (Romania)

As part of the Roma Theatre Retrospective 2020

Tuesday 13 October 2020
Romania

Independent Theater Hungary presented a performance and conversation around Who killed Szomna Grancsa? (Romania) as part of the Roma Theatre Retrospective 2020 livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 13 October 2020 at 9:30 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 12:30 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 17:30 BST (London, UTC +1) / 18:30 CEST (Budapest, UTC +2) / 19:30 EEST (Bucharest, UTC +3).

performer on stage, projections of squiggles cover them.
Bad Kids
reactor logo.
Reactor
Video

Bad Kids

One of eight performances written by eight contemporary Romanian playwrights, presented by Reactor

Monday 12 October 2020
Romania

Reactor presented a performance of Bad Kids livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 12 October 2020 at 10 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -5) / 1 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 20:00 CEST (Cluj, UTC +3).

actor on stage
A conversation around Del Duma (Romania)
Independent Theater Hungary logo.
Independent Theater Hungary
Video

A conversation around Del Duma (Romania)

As part of the Roma Theatre Retrospective 2020

Monday 12 October 2020
Romania

Independent Theater Hungary presented a performance and conversation around Del Duma (Romania) as part of the Roma Theatre Retrospective 2020 livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Monday 12 October 2020 at 9:30 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 12:30 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 17:30 BST (London, UTC +1) / 18:30 CEST (Budapest, UTC +2) / 19:30 EEST (Bucharest, UTC +3).

actors on stage
Paper Planes
reactor logo.
Reactor
Video

Paper Planes

One of eight performances written by eight contemporary Romanian playwrights, presented by Reactor

Saturday 10 October 2020
Romania

Reactor presented a performance of Paper Planes livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Saturday 10 October 2020 at 10 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -5) / 1 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 20:00 CEST (Cluj, UTC +3).

actors on stage
I Like Sushi (Romania)
reactor logo.
Reactor
Video

I Like Sushi (Romania)

The first of eight performances written by eight contemporary Romanian playwrights, presented by Reactor

Wednesday 7 October 2020
Cluj, Romania

Reactor presented a performance of I Like Sushi livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Wednesday 7 October 2020 at 10 a.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -5) / 1 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 20:00 CEST (Cluj, UTC +3).