Morné Steyn

Lecturer

Morné Steyn is a Lecturer at the University of Cape Town’s Centre for Theatre for Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies. He is a performer, actor, educator, and scholar of Performance Voice, Acting and Movement. His work recognises performance as deeply somatic/embodied, affective, political, socioculturally engaged, and both manifest in the flesh as well as sensual (thus, interdisciplinary). His MA research explored the sensuous exploration of masculinity as it enfleshes race and voice in and through performance. Morné’s primary area of work since his employment at UCT has involved Performance Voice, acting and performance studies more broadly.

Morné is a:
1. Certified Lessac Kinesensic Body and Voice Trainer, USA;
2. Candidate: Master Teacher Trainer: Lessac Kinesensic Body and Voice work, USA;
3. a registered Somatic Movement Educator with ISMETA (The International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association),
4. a Yoga student and teacher;
5. and also a member of VASTA (The Voice and Speech Training Association).

 

Latest publication & Research Projects:

1. Steyn, M. 2025. 2025 Forthcoming. Echolocating Artefacts: Meditative utterances of the past into the present. In: Lemmer, K & Lepere, R. Call and Response, Artistic Inquiry Conversations, Pretoria. HSRC press.
2. 2027. A forthcoming edited volume where he forms part of an editorial team with colleagues from the University currently known as Rhodes as well as the University of Pretoria. The focus of the edited volume is on Somatic Ecologies in Africa.

 

Research focus:

Morné considers himself a practitioner-scholar whose artistic-research practice puts forward a sensuous or affective approach to contemporary performance and knowledge production - one immersed in a host of global perspectives, where significant embodied politics and poetics of voicing, physiovocal training, performance and intersectional approaches (particularly race, ethnicity, age, gender, ability & voice) intersect. Recently, Morné has become increasingly invested in the notion of 'listening back'. He also has a keen interest in the exploration of sound-based performance or sonic dramaturgy.

Morné’s current research interests involve exploring:

· embodied voice as that which encompasses and exceeds textuality and linguistic meaning making;
· voice as embodied and materially intersubjective;
· embodied voice as both individual and political, affective, sonic and ideological.
· As well as semantically potent and pragmatically interpellated whilst demandingly present and abjectly haunted.
· embodied voice as simultaneously knowable and perpetually undefinable.

 

Education:

  • MA,University of Pretoria
  • B Tech, Tshwane University of Technology
  • N Dip,  Tshwane University of Technology

 

Courses:

  • TDP1027F – Discovering Performance through Africa / Discovering Africa through Performance
  • TDP1045S. South African Performance Genealogies
  • TDP 2040 W: Theatre and Performance Studiowork
  • TDP 4040 W – Theatre and Performance Studiowork
  • TDP 4000H – Research: Theatre and Dance (Honours)
  • TDP 5001W Masters Theatre and Performance