The Talking Drum Acting System: towards a decolonized African acting methodology.

The Talking Drum Acting System (TDAS) is a decolonized African actor training framework grounded in indigenous performance logics such as rhythm, tonal language, call-and-response, and ancestral invocation. Developed through practice-as-research at Rivers State University, TDAS draws on the communic...

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Publicado en:South African Theatre Journal (Taylor & Francis Ltd ) Vol. 37; no. 3; pp. 219 - 243
Autor principal: Mark, Tekena Gasper
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd Nov2024
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: The Talking Drum Acting System: towards a decolonized African acting methodology.
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        au: Mark, Tekena Gasper
        affil: Department of Theatre and Film Studies, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
      su:
        Acting education
        Afrocentrism
        Culture
        Theatrical companies
      sug:
        subj:
          Acting education
          Afrocentrism
          Culture
          Theatrical companies
      keyword:
        African actor training
        decolonial methodology
        indigenous performance
        rhythm-based acting
        talking drum acting system
      ab: The Talking Drum Acting System (TDAS) is a decolonized African actor training framework grounded in indigenous performance logics such as rhythm, tonal language, call-and-response, and ancestral invocation. Developed through practice-as-research at Rivers State University, TDAS draws on the communicative capacities of the African talking drum and the directorial legacies of Ola Rotimi, Sam Ukala, Segun Adefila, Effiong Johnson, and Joseph Murungu. Structured in five stages – Invocation, Embodiment, Synchronisation, Transformation, and Projection – the method integrates Afrocentric and diasporic training influences within a culturally embedded, adaptable pedagogy. A comparative workshop involving 16 actors assessed TDAS against conventional methods using director feedback, actor self-reports, and audience ratings. Results show TDAS enhances cultural authenticity, projection, movement, and ensemble cohesion, though challenges include moderating over-performance and sustaining stamina. TDAS contributes to global theatre discourse as a rigorous, codifiable, and evolving methodology rooted in African epistemologies.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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          year: 2024
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