Teaching Experiences
Mihailo has taught in Serbia and in New Zealand, in both conservatoire and university settings. In Serbia, Mihailo taught Acting Techniques to trainee actors in a conservatoire setting. Through his process of teaching he introduced students to a variety of different approaches to the work of the actor. Starting from the basic elements in the first year of the course, to the complex elements such as character creation, genre and style, in the second, third and fourth year of the programme. In addition to his Stanislavski based training (both the System, and the Method of Physical Actions), Mihailo’s artistic and academic practice has been inspired by the work of Aristotle, Meyerhold, Vakhtangov, Chekhov, Lecoq and Grotowski.
In Aotearoa New Zealand, Mihailo has taught at the University of Waikato in the Theatre Studies programme since 2015. He has taught all years from first to third year, as a teaching fellow and convenor. The first and second year 15 points papers establish the fundamental knowledge on theatre and introduce basic elements for the actor’s work. They give the students the opportunity to experiment and test already accepted approaches, in order to create their own basic theatre workshops as a final practical assignment. The third year 30 points papers ‘Devised Theatre’ and ‘Play Production’, introduce students to acting techniques, play, rhythm/tempo, narrative, structure, dramaturgy, physical composition, active analyses and ensemble work, in both the devising process and creating a script-based performance. Working alongside students, and introducing and examining the works of classical and contemporary authors, and approaches to theatre creation by different theatre practitioners and theatre companies, Mihailo’s approach to the actor’s education gives the students the practical skills to become diverse theatre makers.
More than twenty years of professional experience as an actor and as an educator has shown Mihailo to be very effective working with diverse groups of people. Working in international contexts with a number of different languages (NZSL, English and Serbian) and with a variety of different performers (disabled and non-disabled artists), has allowed Mihailo to develop effective, flexible and innovative approach to teaching, learning and assessment. His teaching experience in tertiary contexts, alongside his degrees, has also given him knowledge and understanding of academic language and conventions. Mihailo has worked alongside students with very different approaches to learning and is a supportive and nurturing educator.