Dr Robert Vesty

Biography

Robert is a Senior Lecturer on the Theatre programmes at Middlesex University and Programme Leader for the MA Professional Arts Practice. He maintains a performance practice that draws on a training in acting, and a background in dance, particularly improvisatory practice. Robert performs regularly in dance contexts using improvisation as a tool for making, often including voice and poetic text as part of the immediately choreographed material. Robert is a member of the five-strong performance collective anthologyofamess and performs regularly in London.

Pronouns: he/they

In their words:

"After a degree in Drama & Theatre Arts, I trained as an actor at in a conservatoire. Early in my career I worked with touring physical theatre companies, repertory theatres, and in storytelling and TIE.

In recent years, my performance practice has shifted to take account of my interest in dance, and in particular improvisatory practices. Since 2009 I have worked with choreographer Rosemary Lee (RESCEN associate), in each of her Dance Umbrella commissions; with performance maker Kristin Fredricksson to create an instantly choreographed performance piece, Senior Moments, with people over 65 years old for Big Dance, and later Forest Fringe; and other companies such as Dog Kennel Hill.

More recently I have worked as part of a stable of performer/dance artists called anthologyofamessdeveloping a series of works using, predominantly, improvisation as a tool for making performance pieces.

I would say that my performance practice is now firmly based in improvisatory methods that utilise both my acting and dance experience.

I have been a member of the Theatre Arts staff since 2010. My teaching centres around actor-training, somatic practice (especially Feldenkrais), and improvisation. My research segues with my artistic practice. My PhD (Material Words for Voicing Dancers) looked at the production of improvised speech in some improvisatory dance or movement-based performance practices. My research interests extend beyond improvisation to methods of actor training, identity, queer politics, democracy and class.

I am also a fully qualified practitioner of The Feldenkrais Method®."

Teaching

I am passionate about what can be done in a studio-based teaching and learning environment. I teach across the Undergraduate and Postgraduate performance programmes. Areas include approaches to acting, with a specialism in movement, voice, and improvisation founded in a cross-disciplinary ethos. My pedagogic values are heavily influenced by the Feldenkrais Method which fosters an inclusive, everybody-can-do approach built also around care for the self and others while one commits to improving skill and know-how to develop individual and collective craft. 

Programme Leader and Module Tutor: MA Professional Arts Practice (Distance Education)

Module Leader: THE1001 Introduction to Acting and PerformanceTHE2024 The Actor and Director

Module Tutor: THE1515 Making Theatre; THE3025 Performance: Body & Training; THE4020 Extending Practices (Supervisor); Teaching contributions to Dance Y2 Choreography (and previously improvisation) 2014-date; supervision of Y3 dissertations in Fashion (2022-23)