Acting & Performance lecturers represent LSBU at research conference in Finland
Acting and Performance lecturers Jon Lee, Tom Davis and Aiden Condron recently returned from -15c temperatures, 4 feet of snow, frozen lake bathing, sweltering saunas, forest walks and extremely warm hospitality in Tampere, Finland. They were there to deliver their research presentations to very appreciative conference organisers and attendees at the International Platform of Performer Training (IPPT) 2024 hosted by Tampere University.
The event was attended (in presence and virtually) by leading academics, specialists and practitioners from USA, Europe, UK, South America, Philippines and India.
Jon Lee and Tom Davis delivered a lecture/workshop which eloquently presented ideas for performer training focusing on Diffractive Dramaturgies.
Aiden Condron delivered a paper entitled Training The Whole Actor, which persuasively posited a framework for a universal, decentralised and deterritorialised pedagogy in actor and performer training.
The response and feedback on all the papers presented by our LSBU Acting & Performance staff was incredibly positive and enthusiastic and a strong bond was forged from common enquiry and practice between the respective universities. All agreed that Aiden, Jon and Tom’s research spoke powerfully and pertinently to the conference’s theme; Nascent Forms & Methodological Creativity in Performer Training.
LSBU's conributions met the conference's focus on on the contemporaneity of performer training, and how performer training currently answers to the changes taking place in the performing arts, and the communities and societies in which they are practised.
Jon, Tom and Aiden would like to thank their hosts, Professor Pauliina Hulkko and her team on Theatre Arts, Tampere University for their incredible support and organisation of the extraordinary event.
They'd also like to give a special thank you to LSBU Associate Professor of Performance Studies and Associate Dean for Research and Enterprise, Dr Elena Marchevska, for making the research trip possible.