Political Economy and Acting - Birkbeck, University of London: April 17th
Theatre and performance studies has, for the past decade, seen a renewed interest in questions of the actor’s labour or labouring body. This coincides with work that more broadly addresses the conditions and infrastructure of theatrical production - often putting the figure of the actor at the centre of such analysis. However, political economy is still rarely used as a lens through which to examine the conditions of professional performers and their role within the theatre industry.
This one day symposium on Political Economy and Acting is an effort to address this, bringing together research which considers the work of acting in relation to training, employment and industry.
The symposium will take place Birkbeck, University of London on April 17th and is organised by the Performance and Political Economy Research Collective (www.pperesearch.com). The event is supported by the Birkbeck Centre for Contemporary Theatre, and the School of English and Drama at Queen Mary, University of London.
Registration is free but spaces are limited, so please book a place in advance.
The symposium will be held in room G10 at 43 Gordon Square, Birkbeck School of Arts.
Schedule:
10.15 - 10.45: Arrival and registration
10.45 -11: Opening remarks
11-12.30: Panel 1 - Industry
- Nicholas Ridout: The Actor-Ideal
- Louise Owen: This Is Me… Now: Allegory, Attention and Celebrity
- Michael McKinnie: The Show Must Go On: The Star, the Understudy, and The West End Funny Girl
Respondent/chair: Martin Young
12.30- 1.30: Lunch
1.30 - 3: Panel 2 - Training
- Jaswinder Blackwell-Pal: Professionals or Proletarians: British Actors and Class
- Anthony Woods: The Machine of Want and Exploitation: Interest Discordant Behaviour in Actor Training
- Lucy Tyler: ‘We are not a Conservatoire’: Somatics in and Beyond Actor Training
- Paul Edwards: Not a Bug, but a Feature: A Very Brief History of [re]Current Crisis in British Actor Training
Respondent/chair: Clio Unger
3 - 3.15: Break
3.15pm- 4.45pm: Panel 3 - Employment
- Kirstin Smith: "Taping Into the Void": Acting in the Digital Economy
- Saira Raimers: Making an Appearance: Typecasting and the Demands of Aesthetic Labour in Freelance Performance Work
- Savannah Whaley: Tip Work, Feminisation, and the Labour of Unpaid Performance: A Close Reading of the Waitresses
Respondent/chair: Caoimhe Mader McGuinness
4.45-5pm: Closing remarks
5pm: Drinks reception