metodram

Metodram is a term used in contemporary theatre discourse to describe a methodological approach to performance. It treats rehearsal and creation as experimental investigations into acting, staging, and audience engagement, with a focus on process as content. In this frame, techniques, decisions, and testing of methods become material for performance rather than mere tools.

The term is not uniformly defined and appears in different contexts. It is sometimes linked to method drama and metadrama, but with a distinct emphasis on method as the subject of the work rather than a set of techniques. It is mainly used in practice-based research, theatre pedagogy, and artist residencies within experimental or interdisciplinary theatre communities.

Core ideas include treating technique as material, cycles of rehearsal and reflection, collaborative inquiry, and the production of process documentation such as journals and videos. The approach often seeks to reveal how choices are made, not only what is performed.

Techniques commonly used in metodram include structured improvisation, task-based rehearsals, scoring systems, and action research. Performances may foreground the demonstration of a method or deploy the method as a way to generate content. Critics note that the label can be vague, but supporters see it as a useful umbrella for process-driven practice.

Because metodram lacks a single canonical definition, it appears mainly in academic articles on practice-based research and in artist-led labs rather than mainstream theatre. It is valued for making visible the rehearsal labor and for linking pedagogy with production.