Pedagogical Paradoxes in International Contexts: Crossing Methodologies as Decolonial Practice
This working group explores how deliberately combining incompatible theatre teaching methods—from improv comedy to classical director training—can create productive tensions that challenge colonial patterns in academic theatre. We seek educators worldwide who are experimenting with methodological crossings as acts of pedagogical resistance and innovation.
Organizer: Michael Miller (michael.millerjr@udlap.mx)
Application Deadline: November 30, 2025
First Meeting: December 14, 2025 (Zoom)
BACKGROUND & RATIONALE
Traditional theatre pedagogy has been shaped by international methodologies that often carry colonial implications, dominating academic practices worldwide. This working group emerges from recent research that deliberately crossed methodologies—using the “yes, and” principle from American improv comedy to disrupt vertical power dynamics embedded in traditional theatre director training. This crossing generated vibrating energy and productive tensions that challenge conventional pedagogical boundaries.
Rather than rejecting international methods entirely or accepting them uncritically, this working group explores how intentional crossings of seemingly incompatible methodologies can serve as acts of pedagogical resistance. By examining cases from diverse global contexts, we aim to theorize productive contradiction as a decolonial practice that loosens the hold of traditional colonial approaches dominating academic theatre training.
RESEARCH FOCUS
This working group will investigate four interconnected areas:
Cross-Cultural Technique Adoption: How are educators adapting international performance methods (Stanislavski, Meisner, Viewpoints, devising, etc.) to serve local pedagogical goals while resisting their colonial implications?
Productive Pedagogical Paradoxes: What happens when we intentionally combine seemingly incompatible training methods? How do these crossings generate new possibilities rather than cultural confusion?
Resistance Through Intersection: How might crossing international practices offer more rebellious responses to academic coloniality than rejecting them entirely?
Methodological Rebellion: What emerges when we refuse to choose between “traditional” and “contemporary,” “local” and “international,” “structured” and “spontaneous” approaches?
SEEKING PARTICIPANTS WHO
• Are actively engaged in theatre/performance pedagogy in international or cross-cultural contexts
• Have experience combining or crossing different training methodologies
• Are interested in examining the colonial implications of dominant pedagogical practices
• Are willing to experiment with their own teaching practices
• Represent diverse geographical, cultural, and institutional contexts
POSSIBLE OUTCOMES
• Development of theoretical frameworks for pedagogical crossing as decolonial practice
• Collaborative manifestos on methodology crossing as resistance
• Documentation of experimental workshops across multiple contexts
• Network of educators committed to anti-colonial pedagogical innovation
• Potential for joint publications and future collaborative research
APPLICATION PROCESS
To apply, please submit by November 30, 2025:
1. Brief biography (250 words) including your pedagogical background and context
2. Case study (500 words) describing a specific example of how you have crossed or combined seemingly incompatible methodologies in your teaching
3. Reflection (250 words) on how this crossing relates to questions of coloniality in academic practice
4. Commitment statement confirming your availability for the full 3-year process
Submit materials to: michael.millerjr@udlap.mx
bruce.barton