All The World's A Stage!
An Actor's Method Enlivens the Classroom
By Morris U. Burns, University of Texas at
Austin
We spend years gathering insights to share with our
students. Doesn't it make sense to devote some time to preparing our delivery
of these insights?
For many years, my colleague Porter Woods, professor emeritus, and I shared
a small office where we frequently discussed our classroom triumphs and
commiserated over defeats. These discussions evolved, quite naturally, into
examinations of how we taught.
What we realized during these discussions was that the acting tools we were
teaching to our students were also tools we were using in our own teaching.
Further, we realized that the actor and teacher share the same goal: the
communication of ideas and feelings to an audience.
These discoveries led to the formation of a day-long workshop where we
demonstrated some of the connections between acting and teaching.
Results have always been encouraging and support the belief that there is a
viable connection between acting and teaching. We have seen this connection in
our own teaching and in that of numerous colleagues from a variety of
disciplines and institutions.
In the following pages I'll explore several
tools that actors use in creating their characters. My hope is that you'll try
some of them in your own teaching, and then let me know what works for you.
Meet Morris U. Burns
Morris U. Burns is a professor of theater in the Department of
Music, Theatre and Dance at Colorado State University, where he directs plays
and teaches courses in acting, directing, theatre history, and introduction to
theatre. With Porter Woods he co-authored the book Teacher As Actor, and
together they have presented workshops on the topic throughout the country.
Contact him at mburns@vines.colostate.edu.
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