“Lit from within”

This chapter argues that such collaborative protocols also productively enhance the rehearsal process of a published and well-known script. It was within the liberal arts theatre training context that made the extended focus on physical dramaturgy plausible and pedagogically fruitful – allowing production processes take into account a wide-range of learning styles and imagines their influence on students exploring many fields of study. In a liberal arts curriculum, physical dramaturgy plays an even more critical role in drawing actors from disparate performance backgrounds and experiences into a common space of playful work, embodied research, and collaborative authority. Physical dramaturgy is not a separate component of work – it is the heart of the play because it is built from the two essential texts that drive a production's heartbeat – the playscript and the actor's being. Actors can move their arm through space; touch one another or the ground.