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Acting & Performance

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

The Latest

Essay
Presence Before Performance at ODIN HOME
by Melvin Ningyao Yen
3 March 2026
Essay
Creating in the Chaos
by Murielle Borst Tarrant
3 November 2025
Essay
Xhloe and Natasha on the Fringe
by Jonathan Mandell
23 September 2025
three people standing outside
Essay

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
Essay

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
Essay

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
Essay
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
Video

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
Video

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
Video

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.
Video

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
Essay

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
Video

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
Video

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
Video

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).

Video

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.
Video

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
Video

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
Video

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
Video

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).

actor on stage with chameleon outline in background
Video

As part of the Roma Theatre Retrospective 2020

Tuesday 6 October 2020
Hungary

Independent Theater Hungary presented a performance and conversation around Chameleon Girl (Hungary) as part of the Roma Theatre Retrospective 2020 livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 6 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).

an actor onstage
Essay
12 August 2020

Debbie Patterson talks about the barriers faced by artists with disabilities and how creative teams can “crip” the work—embracing the disruptions created by disability to open up previously unimagined possibilities.

text of event details. A stylized photo of two men touching heads.
Video

A lyrical and dramatic meditation on the nature of desire and sexuality as four men—three Asian and one white—come together and drift apart in a series of interconnection stories

Wednesday 5 August 2020
United States

Asian American Theatre Artists of Boston presented A Language of Their Own by Chay Yew livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Wednesday 5 August 2020 at 7:00 p.m. EDT (Boston, UTC -4) / 6:00 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC -5) / 5:00 p.m. MDT (Denver, UTC -6) / 2:00 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC -7) / 1 p.m. AKDT (Juneau, UTC -8) / 11 a.m. HST (Honolulu, UTC -10).

seven actors onstage
Essay

Performing Migration in Mexicatas / Realizar la migración en Mexicatas

9 July 2020

Mariela Lopez Flores speaks with Ariadna Ferreira—one of the creators of the show Mexicatas—about the realities of migration, Catalan vs. Mexican cultures, and more. / Mariela López habla con Ariadna Ferreira—una de las creadoras de la obra de teatro Mexicatas—sobre las realidades de la migración, la cultura catalana vs la cultura mexicana, y más.

Video

A Mu-medley of music, dance, and poetry brought to you by Theater Mu

Friday 22 May 2020
United States

Theater Mu presented A Mu Variety Show livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 22 May 2020 at 5 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 7 p.m. CDT (St. Paul, UTC-5) / 8 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

an actor onstage
Essay
18 May 2020

Staff members at the Huntington Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts discuss their response to their theatre’s closure due to COVID-19: calling audience members and reading them monologues over the phone.

black and red show poster with silhouette of hand
Video

A livestreamed reading of a subversion of a tale known all too well, produced by Homesick Play Project and Sparkhaven Theatre

Thursday 30 April 2020
United States

Homesick Play Project and Sparkhaven Theatre presented a performance of Nosferatu, The Vampyr by M Sloth Levine with original music by Alissa Voth livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Thursday 30 April 2020 at 3:30 p.m. PDT (San Francisco, UTC-7) / 5:30 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 6:30 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

an actor onstage
Essay

Intersections of the Climate Crisis and Disability

28 April 2020

Performance artist Hanna Cormick talks about how she uses her body as a metaphor for the damage humans do to the earth, and calls for a more sustainable relationship to our bodies and nature.

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