Theatre and Performance Studies News

The School of Creative Arts, Performance and Visual Cultures is delighted to announce that Yvette Hutchison has been promoted to the role of Professor. Yvette has made a significant contribution to the disciplines of theatre and performance studies during her career thus far, particularly in the areas of theatre in the African context, South African Theatre and intercultural performance practices. Most recently she has developed the African Women Playwrights Network (AWPN). Her next collaborative project with Lliane Loots of Flatfoot Dance Company, will trace the relationship between disability dance and citizenship with specific companies in various Africa countries. Congratulations Yvette from colleagues, students and alumni!

Congratulations to all of our students who are graduating this week. At our graduation ceremony we usually announce our Student Prizes. We have extended the list of prizes this year to reward group work and to acknowledge practice and research separately. As ever, we also want to acknowledge students who have contributed significantly to the Theatre and Performance Studies, the School of Creative Arts, Performance and Visual Cultures, and the University during their time here. This year's prizes are as follows:

• Research Prize (Dissertation) Josh Myers
• Research Prize (Practice) Jana Azuipe
• Contribution Prizes: Hannah Khan, Lucy Chamberlain, Angelo Balagtas
• Group work prize for process: Niamh Mulcahy, Lyra Cooper, Elia Waymouth, Vishal Ratnajothy (Applying Theatre - Care Home Project)
• Group work prize for product: Adam Wilmhurst, Tabitha Collingridge, George Brown, Guillaume Massenet, and Ashwin Rupanagudi (Wired - Short Film).

After 17 years connected to the department, we're saying goodbye to Wallace McDowell this summer. Students and staff are very sad to see him go. Wallace has given a huge amount to Theatre and Performance Studies over the years and has inspired and supported generations of students. All of us wish him all the very best for the next adventure in retirement!

Wallace has written the following:

"It was 17 years ago that I, as a 25-year veteran practitioner in the professional theatre industry, arrived to start my Ph.D at Warwick under the supervision of Nadine Holdsworth. I had assumed that I would pursue a lonely research furrow for 3-4 years to complete my project. Instead, the academic equivalent of a CS Lewis wardrobe gave me access to a world that I did not know existed: an unbelievably collegiate department under the then leadership of Jim Davis; a vibrant research community of fellow Ph.D students; opportunities to go to conferences – Helsinki, Stellenbosch, Barcelona; and, above all the opportunity to teach which was not something I had even thought about when I started.

I discovered it was what I loved doing and got the opportunity to develop my own teaching areas – 20th Century Irish Theatre, and Performing masculinities. This served as the basis for my teaching and convening of work when I became a full member of the department. In doing so I met cohort after cohort of talented and bright students who had a huge impact on my life. You know who you are. That is what has made the last 17 years so worthwhile.

I am sorry to be leaving but sometimes the time is just right. In so many ways, academic life is another planet from 2004. In some ways, however, many fundamental values remain – and they continue to remain in the TPS department of 2021 led by Anna Harpin.

Over the years, the work and subsequent lives of students have been life affirming and I know that this will continue. This is something that gives me immense pleasure

For me, let us see what happens. I take great comfort in the words of Homer – Simpson that is – ‘I have enough money now to last me for the rest of my life – as long as I die by next Tuesday'.

Farewell and keep the faith. Fly strong and fly high

Wallace"

Yvette Hutchison has a chapter entitled 'Calling everything into question: articulations of black women in post-1994 South African commemoration' in Gender, Transitional Justice and Memorial Arts Global Perspectives on Commemoration and Mobilization, edited by Jelke Boesten and Helen Scanlon, published by Routledge. This book comes out of an AHRC funded project in the Department of International Development, King’s College London & Politics at University of Capetown, SA, for which Yvette was an advisor. The project looked at the role of post-conflict memorial arts in bringing about gender justice in transitional societies, modelling examples in the UK, Chile and SA. It brings together transitional justice, memory studies, post-conflict peacebuilding, human rights and gender studies.

The book will be launched on Thursday 27 May at 1pm GMT, from Lima, London, Cape Town, and Nairobi with Nompilo Ndlovu, Pena Brock, Alex Hibbett, Rachel Kerr & Ester Muinjangue on the panel. Contact Yvette if you want to join the launch.