Ethical imagination from actor training to applied theatre: Participatory, horizontal and relational studio practices at the Stella Adler Academy

Abstract

This article presents a qualitative, practice-based study of ethical imagination in contemporary actor training. Drawing on two years of intensive studio research with 75 actors at the Stella Adler Academy of Acting and Theatre in Los Angeles, alongside extended professional observation, the study examines how imagination-based approaches guide actors to construct imagined circumstances, relationships and stage actions through collaborative studio exercises in which instructors narrate fictional situations that actors physically and emotionally explore in performance, rather than relying primarily on autobiographical emotional recall. A comparative perspective informed by long-term observation in Kosovo highlights the potential risks associated with trauma-centred methodologies when applied without sufficient ethical safeguards. In this study, ethical practices refer to pedagogical approaches that prioritize actors’ psychological well-being, creative agency, relational collaboration and the maintenance of reflective boundaries between performer and role. The study argues that imagination, when understood as a disciplined, embodied and relational practice, may function not only as an artistic resource but also as a framework for ethical and sustainable actor training