Adapting Literary Texts through Music and the Body: The Choreographic Approach

A lecture by Dr Melinda Szuts (Department of Drama, TCD) for the School of Creative Arts Research Forum.

Can we interpret a text by listening to its music rather than its meaning? How can we read with our bodies? Is it possible to communicate emotions and tell stories across linguistic codes using only sound, rhythm, or movement?
This presentation introduces the Choreographic Approach (CA), an inclusive performance pedagogy and interpretative framework I have been developing over the past years, which proposes an alternative mode of engaging with texts grounded in sensory exploration rather than textual analysis. The CA is based on the premise that performance interpretations of any text (spoken or musical) should emerge from somatic engagement rather than deep analytical study, and that considerations of “meaning” should remain secondary to affective and psychophysical inquiry.
As part of my postdoctoral research and creative practice, I have applied this approach across a range of contexts and with diverse participant groups, including both performers and non-performers. This presentation focuses on the CA’s potential for performance adaptation, reflecting on insights gained from a recent interdisciplinary workshop I facilitated at the Beckett Centre, based on Seiobo There Below, a volume of interrelated short stories by Nobel laureate László Krasznahorkai.
The talk will incorporate selected creative exercises from the CA, offering participants a closer engagement with the methodology in practice.

About the Speaker:
Dr Melinda Szuts is a lecturer in drama and theatre studies and a freelance theatre director. She is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Research Fellow at Trinity College Dublin, where she conducts research on accessible performance pedagogies through movement, voice, and sound. She teaches performance studies, theatre history, directing, and dramaturgy, and regularly leads workshops in embodied and interdisciplinary practice. Her research interests include the relationship between physical theatre and dramatic text, musical performance, interdisciplinary performance, and spatial dramaturgy.


This event is run in accordance with Trinity’s Dignity and Respect policy, and its commitment to nurturing a respectful and inclusive research culture.
Please indicate if you have any access requirements, such as ISL/English interpreting, so that we can facilitate you in attending this event. Contact: klineh@tcd.ie