Actor Agency and Resilience: a study of learner autonomy for undergraduate actors using the Feldenkrais Method

In 2015, people working in the Australian entertainment industry were experiencing levels of anxiety ten times higher than the national average and levels of depression, five times higher. Actors were consuming potentially harmful levels of drugs and alcohol. Rapidly changing technology and budgetary restrictions demand higher levels of performance with greater flexibility, confidence, autonomy and, ultimately, resilience in actors. All of this was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this qualitative study, I provide insight into the efficacy of the Feldenkrais Method® of Somatic Education as a learning modality and critical resource in Australian actor training. My research examines how the learning strategies acquired in Feldenkrais lessons enhance learner autonomy and resilience in a group of Australian first-year acting students. I apply a Constructivist Grounded Theory Method approach within an Action Research model. The outcomes of my study show that through a series of Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement® lessons, these Australian acting student-participants explored and developed new modes of critical enquiry, constructed new knowledge and engaged in critical reflection. One of the first of its type within Australia, this study contributes to the emerging discipline of research into the Feldenkrais Method. The study provides valuable information for Australian tertiary educators seeking to best prepare graduates entering the entertainment industry.