EMBEDDING INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES WITHIN ACTOR TRAINING: AN ACCOUNT OF INCLUSIVE TEACHING PRACTICES

In summary, we would like to invite educators working with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous acting students to consider their role in creating a supportive environment from which future leaders can emerge. We postulate that while traditional actor-training meth-odologies may serve all students, it is important to remain open to expanding the offering and to pay close attention to the environment within which students are taught. We believe that Indigenous knowledges and processes can be of great benefit to all students and help to prepare future artists to inhabit the creative industries with the kind of awareness that is now expected of its members. We believe that rituals can benefit the entire cohort in establishing connection to the truth of the land on which we teach and advocate for a welcoming into the fold that privileges the Indigenous standpoint. We have found that only by working alongside Indigenous teaching artists can non-Indigenous students gain an appreciation for an Indigenous point of view. This was recently highlighted when the 2023 graduates were directed by QUT Creative Industries Indigenous Chair Wesley Enoch AM, who invited students to have private discussions with him on the Voice to Parliament Referendum. Many valuable discussions were held, not only on why Enoch believed the referendum was important to Australia, but also why he respected the opinions of the Indigenous Australians who did not support the 'yes' vote. Likewise, students involved in writing scenes were able to influence the process with ideas of their own identity and test the 'playing' of their culture within a safe and supportive environment that allowed for script development. Educational Institutions continue to suffer serious financial constraints, but more than ever it is vital that this work is not delivered to the 'too-hard basket' and considered a luxury. A rethinking of approach and curriculum content must consider the societal make-up of contemporary Australian society and how Indigenous and non-Indigenous students might best feed into that narrative in the most informed manner possible.