Moving Bodies: Jacques Lecoq and Drama Education in Australia

Abstract

This article explores Jacques Lecoq's pedagogy of theatre training and considers its usefulness as an approach for secondary school drama teachers. Lecoq's principles and practice can be successfully applied in drama education to develop skills in theatrical creation and performance. The four pillars of Lecoq's integrated approach—movement, improvisation, creation and stylisation—are explored in terms of their suitability for the drama classroom. The pedagogy is seen to offer a viable alternative to the ‘Stanislavski method’, primarily because its theory and practice are grounded in a paradigm of embodiment rather than Cartesian dualism. The proposition that Lecoq's practice is valuable for secondary drama education is supported by the testimony of Australian Lecoq graduates who have conducted pre-service and in-service teacher training, student workshops and Theatre-in-Education programs.