Actor training in musical theatre

Abstract

This dissertation deals with actor training processes in musical theatre practices. Actor training was one of the most investigated territories during the twentieth century in terms of both theory and practice. Studies were conducted by a wide spectrum of theatre makers who like Stanislavsky and Grotowski considered the preparation of the performer as central to their practice. Musical theatre is a theatre genre that developed considerably during the twentieth century. As such the impact and relevance of actor training strategies with regards to its development are worth investigating especially in terms of its intrinsically interdisciplinary nature which requires performers proficient in different artforms including theatre, dance, and music. It follows that training strategies adopted by performers must deal equally with all the artforms involved in the creation of a musical theatre production. In view of this, the study will reflect on the hybrid nature of the performer in musical theatre and explore how performer training is incorporated in musical theatre practices. A historical overview of musical theatre – intended as foundation for a more detailed analysis of the kind of training required by performers – will be provided. This will be followed by reflections – supported by interviews with practitioners involved in musical theatre – on key aspects related to the preparation of the performer, including the concept of the triple threat which is central to musical theatre practice. The study will conclude with an appraisal of how performer training strategies are applied to the creation of musical theatre production by referring to the musicals Cats and The Lion King as case studies. These case studies will serve as backdrop for an in-depth analysis of how performers develop their abilities through training and how these abilities are applied in the process of creating a musical theatre performance.