Acting in the Academy : The History of Professional Actor Training in US Higher Education

Acting in the Academy looks at ways of re-empowering students as they prepare for a career in performance, contending that many aspects of contemporary actor training in the US are outdated and limiting. Peter Zazzali calls for a reconceptualization of the standard courses in voice and speech, movement, or performance to include an entrepreneurial model more suited to today''s job market. By exploring the development of actor training in the US, it answers questions about how training programs and the acting profession have developed alongside one another, and how courses might better prepare students for the realities of American acting today.

There are over 150 BFA and MFA acting programs in the US today, nearly all of which claim to prepare students for theatre careers. Peter Zazzali contends that the curricula of these courses represent an ethos that is as outdated as it is limited, given today’s shrinking job market for stage actors. 

Acting in the Academy traces the history of actor training in universities to make the case for a move beyond standard courses in voice and speech, movement, or performance, to develop an entrepreneurial model that motivates and encourages students to create their own employment opportunities. This book answers questions such as:

• How has the League of Professional Theatre Training Programs shaped actor training in the US?
• How have training programmes and the acting profession developed in relation to one another?
•  What impact have these developments had on American acting as an art form?

Acting in the Academy calls for a reconceptualization of actor training the US, and looks to newly empower students of performance with a fresh, original perspective on their professional development.