Evolving landscapes of performer training in the twenty-first century

Abstract

The article surveys emerging and evolving trends in twenty-first-century performer training. It updates earlier accounts that focused on ethical and ideological considerations, digital and technological innovations, and the role of non-human agency. Rather than technological, the main element that prompted the current review is an ideological drive that marks a return to the human as evidenced by the emphasis on inclusion, diversity, and equality vis-à-vis race, culture, gender, abilities, class, and other lived realities. One major effect of this development is the reconsideration of technique, specifically the objection to canonical often patriarchal and Eurocentric methods with attendant attitudes that were previously transmitted and received unquestioningly. The article begins with a big picture exposition about some of the key elements at stake, mainly related to the role and status of technique and 'non-negotiables' in training. The second part adopts a sharper focus as derived from an analysis of the topics in the research articles of Theatre, Dance and Performance Training from its inception in 2010 to 2025, which serve at once as an indicator and a propagator of shifts and trajectories in the discipline. The article suggests that the currently ongoing intensified institutionalisation of training needs to be managed with caution.