New Approaches in Teaching Stage Speech to Acting Students in a Blended Learning Format (In-Person and Online)

Abstract: The article presents the findings of research into the adoption and implementation of innovative methods of teaching stage speech to acting students enrolled in a blended learning program (combining face-to-face and online instruction). Focusing on the practices at the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts “Krastyo Sarafov” in Sofia and the I. K. Karpenko-Kary National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television in Kyiv, the study employs comparative analysis of curricula, educational process structure, and learner motivation to elucidate both convergences and divergences in the pedagogical strategies of the two institutions. The research methodology integrates comparative analysis, cyber-ethnographic observation, and participant observation. The central thesis asserts that both academies strive to cultivate actors who are technically proficient and artistically convincing. The working hypothesis posits that the observed particularities stem not only from each institution’s traditions and national context but also from the exigencies of crisis conditions, the increasing role of digital technologies and new software, and an articulated mission among instructors to prepare actors as both professionals and civically engaged citizens. Drawing on the empirical results, the study formulates a series of recommendations and argues for a comprehensive restructuring of the instructional process in the transition to hybrid education. Keywords: stage speech; actor training; digital technologies in education; military conflict.