UW–Madison’s Baron Kelly is a panelist in the international webinar, “The S Word: Stanislavsky and Gender,” co-hosted by the Stanislavsky Research Centre at the University of Leeds, and the School of Performing Arts, University of Malta.
Kelly is a professor in the Department of Theatre and Drama, and also holds a concurrent appointment with the Odyssey Project in the Division of Continuing Studies.
During the webinar, Kelly will discuss his journey and techniques in developing his one-man show on Ira Aldridge, one of the first African American actors to achieve success on the international stage.
In a preview for his presentation, Kelly writes: “I will discuss concepts such as ‘the door of empathy.’ How the door of empathy led me to find a greater connection with the character of Ira Aldridge. Other topics I will touch on include how human interaction is embedded in the action between the lines. Subtext is action and action is subtext. The responsibility of the actor is to make the event of the scene happen in service to the story. For the event to have vertical movement in the playing, the actor needs to be alive to the kinesthetic responses to the various stimuli.”
The webinar seeks to focus on how the work and legacy of Russian theater practitioner Konstantin Stanislavsky has endured across the broad field of the performing arts, and as his prominence as a male figure receives renewed debate and criticism.
The webinar is free and will take place online on Dec. 15 from 1 – 3 p.m. GMT. Advance booking is required.
Learn more about the event at this Stanislavsky Research Centre webpage.