Stuart Wood on the actor as an artist
Updated: 10 hours ago
What changes when an actor is understood as an artist with a contribution of their own? That question runs through Stuart Wood’s February 2023 article for Drama & Theatre.
Wood describes a training approach shaped by Michael Chekhov, with imagination and physical impulse central to the actor’s work. He connects it to BSA’s dedicated Acting for Screen programme, developed with Matthew Humphreys and the school’s patron Charlie Cox.
The argument extends to what students make. Wood discusses new theatre-making partnerships with The Wardrobe Ensemble and Rapscallion Cage, alongside the school’s work with younger performers through its Extended Diploma.
The article records a particular position in the debate about actor training: students bring experience, judgement and authorship into the room. Those qualities have consequences for how a course is taught and what it asks them to create.
Sources: Drama & Theatre.
