How can indigeneity be understood through training actors in a colonial context? Do ‘Western’ acting schools misrepresent and exploit indigenous practices and cultural traditions towards reinforcing the settler state? Or does a given school's integration of such praxis and customs demonstrate inclusivity, equity and progressivism? At what point does incorporating indigeneity in actor training become a tokenistic appropriation of marginalized cultures? Drawn from fieldwork as a 2019 Fulbright scholar at Toi Whakaari, New Zealand's National Drama School, I intersect training with culture and society. Using the Acting Program as a case study, I deploy an ethnographic methodology to address the aforementioned questions by investigating Toi Whakaari's bicultural pedagogy while positioning it as a reflection of New Zealand's national identity. I especially explore the school's implementation of Tikanga Māori, the practices and beliefs of the country's indigenous peoples. I argue that while some questions remain, Toi Whakaari integrates Māori forms in a manner that is culturally responsible and pedagogically effective, thereby providing a model from which other drama schools can learn.

中文翻译：

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文化、身份和演员培训：新西兰国家戏剧学校的土著性

如何通过在殖民背景下培训行动者来理解土著性？“西方”表演学校是否歪曲并利用土著习俗和文化传统来加强定居者国家？或者一所学校对这种实践和习俗的整合是否表现出包容性、公平性和进步主义？在什么时候将本土性纳入演员培训成为对边缘文化的象征性挪用？作为 2019 年在新西兰国家戏剧学校 Toi Whakaari 担任富布赖特学者的实地考察，我将培训与文化和社会相结合。以表演项目为案例研究，我通过调查 Toi Whakaari 的双文化教学法，同时将其定位为新西兰的反映，部署了一种民族志方法来解决上述问题。的民族认同。我特别探讨了学校对 Tikanga Māori 的实施，即该国土著人民的习俗和信仰。我认为，尽管仍然存在一些问题，但 Toi Whakaari 以一种对文化负责且教学有效的方式整合了毛利形式，从而提供了其他戏剧学校可以学习的模式。