[Candrama] The S Word: Stanislavsky and the Local in Aotearoa/New Zealand Online Webinar, 10 December 2026

[Paul Fryer]

*Stanislavsky and the Local in Aotearoa/New Zealand Online Webinar*

*10 December 2026*

Join webinar Kaitautū (hosts) Associate Professor Hilary Halba and Dr 
Mihailo Lađevac to explore the local relevance of Stanislavsky’s ideas 
in 2026 in Aotearoa/New Zealand.

Presenters Bronwyn Bradley, Vanessa Byrnes and David O’Donnell 
investigate how actor training and practice in Aotearoa/New Zealand 
contribute to, challenge, or transform Stanislavsky’s legacy, and ask 
what might then be revealed about presence, relationality and 
performance – and for whom.

*The S Word* is an international, collaborative research project created 
by Bella Merlin and Paul Fryer - part of the Stanislavsky Research 
Centre, based jointly at The University of Leeds (UK) and The University 
of Malta.

*Presenters*

*Bronwyn Bradley*(MEd), Manutaki Tohu Paerunga (Head of Post Graduate 
Studies): Toi Whakaari NZ Drama School. As an actor, Bronwyn has been a 
prominent presence in Aotearoa's theatre and screen industries since 
graduating from Drama School in 1992. An experienced educator, Bronwyn 
has held Head of Acting positions at several of Aotearoa's leading Drama 
Schools. She has also led the development of a number of new training 
programmes, most recently Toi Whakaari's Master of Creative Performance 
Practice (2023), and Bachelor of Performing Arts (with various 
endorsements) (2025). Bronwyn’s area of research interest and 
pedagogical practice examine what contemporary, resilient and 
decolonised performing arts training can look like in Aotearoa and beyond.

*Vanessa Byrnes*is Associate Professor and Head of School: Creative 
Industries at Unitec, Auckland. An award-winning director, actor, 
producer, arts advocate and educator, she has over 30 years’ experience 
across theatre, screen, radio and arts leadership in Aotearoa and 
internationally. She has led and collaborated on over 200 productions 
and taught and mentored practitioners in Aotearoa and internationally. 
Her research and publications focus on actor training and performance 
practice in Aotearoa, including contributions to /Acting in Aotearoa/ 
(2025) and /Invigoration, Transformation, Revolution/ (2026).

*David O’Donnell*(Emeritus Professor of Theatre at Victoria University 
of Wellington) has published widely on New Zealand and Pacific theatre, 
co-editing /Performing Aotearoa/ (2007), /Indigeneity on the Oceanic 
Stage/ (2025) and /Acting in Aotearoa/ (2025). With Lisa Warrington, he 
co-wrote /Floating Islanders: Pasifika Theatre in Aotearoa/ (2017), 
winner of the 2018 Rob Jordan Book Prize. An award-winning director, he 
received the 2023 Mayoral Award for Significant Contribution to Theatre 
at the Wellington Theatre Awards

*Kaitautū (hosts)*

*Hilary Halba*is Associate Professor at the University of Otago. Her 
research explores the theory and practice of acting, the subject of her 
recent co-edited book, /Acting in Aotearoa /(Routledge, 2025), and how 
culture and identity are manifest in and through performance. As a 
professional actor, Hilary has appeared in numerous productions in 
Aotearoa, and beyond.

*Dr Mihailo Lađevac*is an actor and theatre scholar with 30 years’ 
professional experience, trained in the Stanislavsky tradition in 
Serbia. A former full-time member of the National Theatre in Belgrade, 
he is a core member of Equal Voices Arts in Aotearoa/New Zealand and has 
published on actor training and spirituality.

*8pm *(*NZ*) Thursday 10th December 2026

*7am*(*UK*) Thursday 10th December 2026

*11pm*(*Pacific Daylight Time*) Wednesday 9th December 2026

*2am*(*Eastern Daylight Time*) Thursday 10th December 2026

*Please check your local time.*

*Duration: 90 minutes*

This event is *FREE*, please book online at 
*www.ticketsource.com/the-s-word*


-- 
Prof. Paul Fryer MA, PhD, FRSA, FHEA.
Visiting Professor, School of Performance and Cultural Industries, University of Leeds (UK).
Co-Director, The Stanislavsky Research Centre (University of Leeds/University of Malta)
Consultant Editor, Stanislavski Studies
Series Editor, Stanislavsky And...
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