An analysis of a professional young musical theatre company learning processes from a 4E cognition perspective

Abstract

Zarza is a project launched in 2017 by a public theatre in Madrid dedicated exclusively to zarzuela (Spanish operetta), in order to disseminate the genre to young audiences. The productions are performed by actors and actresses aged 18-30, selected through a tough casting, and accompanied by a small ensemble of young musicians. Our presentation is based on an ethnographical study carried out from January to March 2023, which focused on the 2023 production, Yo te Querré (I will love you), with songs by the composer Francisco Alonso freely linked with an ad-hoc libretto written for adolescent audiences. Data were collected through observations of all 30 rehearsals (five weeks) and 13 performances; interviews with the different participants in the project (including company members, directors, coaches, and stage and stalls technical staff); and review of publicly available materials. Our analysis followed the procedures of grounded theory, seeking credibility through prolonged field immersion, and triangulation of data collection techniques, informants, and observers. From this analysis, we will comment: a) embodiment in the daily work of performers (embodied mind); b) the enactive processes of construction of meaning and emotions that occur both individually and at a collective level (enactive mind); c) cultures that interact in a process that has a common objective for all (embedded mind); and d) some of the materials and tools they use to configure their musical learning and construct the characters acting (extended mind). These emerging data are reorganized according to the categories of the 4E cognition framework (embodied, enactive, embedded, and extended mind), which allows us to show an overview of the implications of this creative process.