Abstract
In this Introduction we survey the development of professional acting in Aotearoa. Like most post-colonial countries, Aotearoa is a charged space for examining cultural identities. The art of acting has become a potent means of embodying and expressing diversity and identity in this dynamic post-colonial context. In this Introduction, we interrogate the role the actor plays in society in Aotearoa, now and in the past, and seek to raise the mana of acting as an artform. The Introduction situates Aotearoa in its context as a Pacific nation with a colonial performance legacy that is still felt keenly today even as the process of decolonisation seeks to dismantle colonial models. We identify key international influences in acting and actor training in Aotearoa, introduce local practitioners who disseminated these methods and consider their impact on theatre, film, television and radio. In so doing, we foreground ideas and concepts that will be more deeply considered in essays and interviews throughout the book.