Prof. Frank Camilleri, from the Department of Theatre Studies, has just published a full-length monograph with Bloomsbury (London and New York) entitled Performer Training for Actors and Atheletes (2023).

What goes on in the body and mind of an endurance athlete at the limits of performance? How do they relate to the world around and prepare for the task ahead? The book offers a refreshing perspective on training in the cross-lighting of aesthetic and athletic processes, it focuses on the learning, mastery and creative adaptation of technique in performance. From traditional and physical actors to runners, boxers and other sports practitioners, it is about performers: their bodies, trainings and experiences. It interrogates what it means to prepare and train as a performer in the early 21st century.

Writing from extensive experience in physical theatre and long-distance running, Prof. Camilleri combines insights from both disciplines along with theatre history, sports science and perspectives like embodied cognition and affective science. From the kind of thoughts that go through the mind of an actor or a runner, to the economy and aesthetic of their movement and to how they feel about it, this book sheds light on the performing body and its capacities for action.

Individuals interested in theatre, music, dance, and performing arts are invited to visit the School’s website for more information about the courses on offer at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.