Research and Development at Warwick
Theatre and Performance Studies at Warwick aims to support students, and those working in theatre and performance more widely, to make work. We do this in two ways – first by supporting students during their time with us through three initiatives, and second by supporting practitioners and companies through our ‘Create on Campus’ scheme.
Supporting Students
For those students interested in making work, we always aim to support them to create, innovate and graduate as bold and unique practitioners. To help us meet this aim we offer three creative pathways to enable our students to make and present their work in addition to what is taught on modules: the Shop Front Showcase, Incubate and the Clive Barker Award. Current students can find out more about these initiatives below or by contacting Theatre and Performance Studies' Director of Practice and Production, Dr Bobby Smith.
The Shop Front Showcase
We work with Theatre Absolute and the Shop Front Theatre in Coventry to stage an annual showcase of our students’ creative work. This provides a professional platform for sharing and celebrating artistic work from modules, from our third year Verge Festival and from our students ever-exciting extra-curricular creative practice. In this way, we make sure our students’ practice meets a wider audience.
Incubate
This is an R&D initiative that offers technical support and space to students so that they can develop their creative work further. Students may be at the initial exploratory phase, ready to start rehearsals, or ready to take a piece to a festival. This pathways offers vital time, space, and further technical and creative support to help our students’ realise their artistic vision.
Clive Barker Award
Clive Barker was a pioneering theatre studies scholar. He worked with Arnold Wesker and Joan Littlewood and wrote influential book including Theatre Games. He worked at Warwick from 1976 until retirement in 1993. This award provides practical and financial support for students so that they can realise a performance and present it outside of the Warwick community – for example, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Supporting the Sector: Create on Campus
Theatre and Performance Studies at Warwick are committed to supporting and helping to develop theatre and performance beyond the university. We are able to provide much needed space, time and support – free of charge – to practitioners and companies who are developing new work. They will be provided with technical support (if required) and space to experiment, create and rehearse on campus during the Easter or Summer breaks. We can also organise mentoring or support from our staff or though our links to organisations such as Warwick Arts Centre and Theatre Absolute. We can also connect artists with our students if they want to do R&D work with our cohorts.
You can find our more about Our Facilities elsewhere on our website.
If you think that you may be able to benefit fro the Create on Campus scheme, please complete this form or contact our Director of Practice and Production, Dr Bobby Smith, for more information.