Ethnicity and actor training: A British Asian actor prepares

Abstract

This article contextualizes the historic lack of representation of actors from ethnic minorities in the arts and details two actor-training methodologies that take into account the ethnicity of the actor. The first methodology was developed by Jatinder Verma, artistic director of Tara Arts, as part of his unique ‘Binglish’ theatre form that draws on both Eastern and Western theatre traditions. A close examination of the rehearsal process of Miti Ki Gadi [The Little Clay Cart] (1984), the first ‘Binglish’ production, exemplifies the way in which the ethnicity of the actor is recognized in relation to form as well as content. The second case study focuses on the work of Kristine Landon-Smith, Co-Artistic Director of Tamasha Theatre Company, and her insistence that actor training practically addresses the ‘cultural context’ of the actor. At the centre of her methodology is the innovative application of ‘hot seating’ that was used to develop the text of Lyrical MC (2008).