Postigo, Alejandro ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7922-8953 (2026) Becoming Anglo: the creation of Miss Brexit. Theatre, Dance and Performance Training. pp. 1-19. ISSN 1944-3927

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Abstract

Post-Brexit England presents international theatre artists with the challenge of negotiating their foreignness, often dictated by their speech patterns and cultural knowledge as second-language users. This reality is particularly acute for a cohort of English as an Additional Language (EAL) acting graduates trained in UK drama programmes, who have devised Miss Brexit, a satirical performance interrogating the pressures of linguistic and cultural assimilation in the British theatre industry.
Miss Brexit stages a high-stakes contest in which European contestants navigate absurd challenges that morph national stereotypes into British myths, with the ultimate prize being the right to remain in the UK and pursue the Anglo-American dream. The show examines the precarious balance between survival and self-erasure, asking: Who can truly erase their cultural identity to fit a British mould? And what does this reveal about the expectations placed upon migrant performers?
By centring performers whose first language is not English, some presenting intersectional identities, the show exposes the implicit hierarchies within performer training and the industry at large. It explores how actors trained in a UK context must navigate accent bias, linguistic gatekeeping, and the burden of cultural translation. This article highlights Miss Brexitas a case study in performer training, showcasing how second-language actors creatively resist pressures of assimilation while leveraging their multilingualism as an artistic asset. With the support of Arts Council England, Miss Brexit continues to generate discourse on the realities of EAL performers, amplifying their visibility and advocating for a more inclusive training landscape

Item Type:	Article
Identifier:	10.1080/19443927.2026.2663038
Keywords:	English as an Additional Language (EAL), performer training, multilingual theatre, accent discrimination, devised performance, practice-research, Participatory Action Research (PAR), intercultural pedagogy, post-Brexit Britain, migrant identity
Date Deposited:	14 Apr 2026
Dates:	Date Publication status 4 May 2026 Accepted 16 June 2026 Published Online
School, department or research centre:	London College of Music
Keywords:	English as an Additional Language (EAL), performer training, multilingual theatre, accent discrimination, devised performance, practice-research, Participatory Action Research (PAR), intercultural pedagogy, post-Brexit Britain, migrant identity
URI:	https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/14874

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