Yazid Jalil

MA Arts Pedagogy and Practice

2024

Yazid works in theatre as an actor, director, writer and devising collaborator. He has credits in over 60 professional theatrical productions in the last 18 years and was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 11th Life! Theatre Awards for his role in Charged (Teater Ekamatra, 2011).

Heavily influenced by his training at the Intercultural Theatre Institute and the École Philippe Gaulier, Yazid believes that cross-disciplinary collaborations can bring about the pleasure of discovery through encountering the unknown.

When not performing, Yazid enjoys sharing his knowledge and experiences with students. He is currently an adjunct lecturer at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and LASALLE College of the Arts. As a teaching artist, Yazid values sincerity, sharing of joy and embracing differences. He hopes to empower more youths with agency and critical thinking through arts education.

https://www.yazidjalil.com

yazid.jalil.works@gmail.com

Thesis abstract

FIGHT THE TEACHER: A practice-led research integrating combat into actor training

This practice-led investigation explores the integration of combat martial arts, specifically longsword sparring from the Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA), into actor training and devising work.

The study examines the psychophysical effects of longsword sparring on actors and its implications for performance-making. Drawing on a series of workshops with a group of actors, the study documents the impact of sparring practice on focus, concentration and physical awareness, noting improvements in actors' presence and ability to perform authentically. The study also explores the role of play and trust in ensemble work, highlighting how combat sparring fosters collaboration and trust among actors, leading to stronger ensemble work and a more robust devising process.

The study also discusses how sparring practice inspires new vocabulary and tools for actors, influencing their approach to scene creation. It reflects on the pedagogical implications of incorporating combat into actor training, suggesting that sparring practice promotes a culture of trying, failing, and discovering, which is essential for devising work and taking risks as actors.

The study concludes with insights for actor training, suggesting a systematic integration of combat sparring for various theatrical applications, and for the acting teacher, proposing a shift towards a culture that embraces trying, failing and discovering through a mix of strong form, improvisation and play.

School of Creative
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Yazid Jalil

Work

Thesis abstract

Work experience