What does it mean to 'act'? What is the relationship of the actor and the character? Can a character be present when an actor is not? What is the 'live'? What is 'bad' acting? Can a child, or a machine, or an animal 'act'? Why (and when) has acting been attacked as a dangerous, and even a seditious practice? When is acting used as a metaphor for social life, and to what end? This option will explore the idea of acting in various historical contexts and moments. We will examine debates about good (and bad) acting; authenticity and fakery; the development of formal actor training and we will review historical and critical arguments about the practice of acting.