The Return of Spiritual Body: a Study of the Practice and Theory of the Actor’s Body in Training and Performance

Li, Beibei (2025) The Return of Spiritual Body: a Study of the Practice and Theory of the Actor’s Body in Training and Performance. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

My research integrates the physical training methods developed by Jerzy Grotowski, Tadashi Suzuki, and Theodoros Terzopoulos to enhance actors’ external energy and expressiveness. My own multifaceted professional identity in theatre, as a performer, director, playwright and acting teacher, serves as the research context.

Since 2017, I have participated extensively in international workshops and ultimately selected the training methods developed by these three theatre masters to form the core of my research. My objective is to explore how physical training can enhance actors’ expressiveness and help them attain balance and coordination between internal emotion and external physicality in character creation. These training methods have effectively improved actors’ physical expression and stage performance by emphasising the importance of the actor’s body in contemporary theatre performance.

The research combines body philosophy, performance theory and training techniques to form an effective training method that transitions from theory to practice, offering a new perspective for the rehearsal and performance of theatrical works. First, I analysed and compared the training methods of Grotowski, Suzuki and Terzopoulos to identify their commonalities and differences. Second, I explored how these methods might be integrated into actors’ physical training and character development to enhance the depth and authenticity of their stage performances. I also assessed the methods’ impact on actors’ emotional and physical balance as well as their role in promoting the spirituality and vitality of character portrayals.

Through its comprehensive application of Grotowski’s, Suzuki’s and Terzopoulos’ training methods, my research confirms the importance of physical training in contemporary theatre performance. These methods not only improve actors’ physical expression but also promote the harmonious integration of emotions and the body, allowing characters on stage to become more spiritually and vitally alive.

Furthermore, my research demonstrates how different body philosophies and theatrical concepts may serve as starting points from which to validate and reflectively evaluate theatrical rehearsal and performance. Ultimately, my research provides a new and effective training method that combines theory and practice for theatre performance training.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing
Depositing User:	Kitty Laine
Date Deposited:	23 Jun 2025 09:12
Last Modified:	23 Jun 2025 09:12
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/99478
DOI:

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