Practicing Archetype

Solo Performer Training as Critical Pedagogy

Practicing Archetype addresses performer training, specifically the self-pedagogy of actors who train solo, on their own, as an independent learning process, an opportunity for embodied research, and a form of critical pedagogy.

Practicing Archetype addresses performer training, specifically the self-pedagogy of actors who train solo, on their own, as an independent learning process, an opportunity for embodied research, and a form of critical pedagogy.

Joining the current critical and inclusive turn in performer training, the author reconfigures the psychophysical ‘work on self’ trope as ‘encounters with the self' and turns to the genre of solo performance, including examples of solo activism from recent years, for a deeper understanding into how the self always already implicates and relates to others. The space that opens in the dialogue between performer training and solo performance is negotiated around three key themes: presence, identity, and action. Using a methodology grounded in archetypal psychology alongside liberation psychology and decolonial feminist thought, and engaging the mythological figures Echo, Odysseus, and Sisyphus, the author reviews specific archetypal images that appear in key performer training texts and revisits well-known practices through the insights drawn from solo performance. Offering audio-guided exercises traditionally used in performer training as embodied forms of inquiry into the relationships between the individual and the various collectives surrounding her, the volume proposes that solo performer training can be mobilised for multiple interrelated objectives – creative, artistic, or professional development; critical, reflective, liberatory pedagogy; and spiritual, archetypal, imaginative encounters.

The book speaks to all who are engaged in performer training – students and teachers, soloists and ensembles – as well as those with an interest in embodied forms of critical pedagogy or decolonial approaches to archetype.

UK Delivery:

• Free delivery on all orders of £10 or more.
• £1.49 delivery fee on orders below £10.
• UK orders are shipped via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

International Delivery:

• Flat rate delivery charges vary by country.

Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

View our full delivery infomation here.