Readers will already be aware of East 15 Acting School's commitment to developing unique courses to address the needs of a changing world of performance, writes Kevin Wyatt-Lown.
A few months ago I wrote about the BA in Acting and Stage Combat, still the only course of its kind in the world. The world is shrinking and global communication is the core driver behind ensuring that traditional cultures step firmly onto the world stage. As a result, the face of theatre is changing with the times. Intercultural productions such as the recent Monkey King at the O2 in London are playing to sell out crowds, and Bollywood now invades Hollywood with box-office hits like Slumdog Millionaire. If China's stunning Opening Ceremonies to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics are a sign – the world of performance offers unique training and opportunities far wider than the West End.
The students of the World Performance BA programme at East 15 Acting School are a new breed – performers for a globalised world, ready to create the theatre of tomorrow. The first of its kind in the UK, the course offers an innovative syllabus combining traditional Western acting instruction with rigorous training in a wide range of performance disciplines from many different cultures.
Students explore Stanislavski and Michael Chekhov, the techniques of Sanford Meisner and Jacques LeCoq, but this foundation is built on with intensive training in Chinese Jingju (Beijing Opera), Japanese Kabuki, Noh, and Butoh, Brazilian Capoeira, African Dance, Hula, Indian Kathakali, Balinese Shadow Puppetry and Kecak, and other traditional performance forms.
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