Psychophysical actor training as a source for new openings
This doctoral thesis investigates the traditions of psychophysical actor training in Finland and elsewhere, and considers their use in youth theatre education.
Drawing from a wide range of research materials—written inquiries of Finnish and German upper secondary students, and interviews of professional actors, former students of Jouko Turkka, and current student actors of the Theatre Academy Helsinki and the University of Tampere—MA Hannu Tuisku charts the continuum from youth theatre education to the training of professional actors, seldom acknowledged in international literature.
In respective parts of the thesis Tuisku I) recognizes a need for alternative pedagogies of acting in youth theatre education, II) considers the meaning of the transitional state in the actor’s developmental process, and the means to enhance this transition, III) presents an embodied pedagogy of acting for youth theatre education on the basis of “The Actor’s Art in Modern Times” research project, and IV) discusses the importance of the youth theatre movement for the actor’s education.
The thesis poses the question, how are we to develop ethically sustainable training today. The articles of the thesis have been published in international peerreviewed journals.