Theatre and Performance Studies News
TOP STORY: TaPRA 2025 Conference to be hosted at Warwick
We're delighted to announce that the annual Theatre and Performance Research Association (TaPRA) conference will be hosted by Theatre and Performance Studies at Warwick between 27 and 29 August 2025. The conference will mark both the 20th birthday of TaPRA and the 50th anniversary of Theatre and Performance Studies at Warwick. Our conference keynotes, plenary panels, artistic activity, conference dinner and programmed events will speak to the themes of milestones and markers, focussing on celebrations, festivities, spectacle and joy. We'll look forward to welcoming you to Warwick next year!
To keep up to date with the conference plans, please visit our dedicated TaPRA pages here.
Prof. Nadine Holdsworth on Shelagh Delaney's A Taste of Honey
Nadine has recorded a one-hour interview on Shelagh Delaney's play A Taste of Honey for 'The Play Podcast'. Hear what she has to say by using the link below:
https://www.theplaypodcast.com/029-a-taste-of-honey-by-shelagh-delaney/
Commonwealth Shared Scholarships Available for MA Applied Theatre: Arts, Action, Change
Theatre and Performance Studies at Warwick is inviting applications from eligible students for Commonwealth Shared Scholarships to study our new MA Applied Theatre: Arts, Action, Change.
Candidates will need to have applied, and received an offer, for the degree by 26th March 2021. You can apply here https://warwick.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/taught/courses-2021/appliedtheatre/.
Selected applicants will then be nominated and work with us to draft their application for the scholarship, and will need to submit a separate application online direct to Commonwealth Scholarships by 9th April 2021 https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/scholarships-filter-search/
Level of support provided
• Course fees will be covered
• Airfares to and from the UK (must be booked in line with CSC’s travel policy)
• Grant to contribute to study-related costs (exact amount to be confirmed)
• Tuberculosis test fees at a pre-determined amount set by the CSC where required by UK Visas and Immigration
• Excess baggage allowance on return home up to the specific rate as set by the CSC
• Disability Support Allowance for personal living costs (if eligible)
• For Scholars who are widowed, divorced, or a single parent, child allowance of £478 per month for the first child, and £118 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16 (at 2020/2021 rate)
• Stipend (living allowance) at the rate of £1116 per month
• Warm clothing allowance of £433
Candidate eligibility
Candidates are expected to hold a first degree at either first class or upper-second class level, or at lower-second class level plus a Master’s degree. The CSC cannot assess work experience in lieu of this minimum academic qualification. Pre-sessional English courses are not supported by this programme. Universities must therefore confirm that candidates are sufficiently fluent in written and oral English to pursue their studies immediately and ensure that they meet the English language requirement set by UK Visas and Immigration. To apply for these scholarships, candidates must:
• Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible Commonwealth country, or be a British Protected Person
• Be permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country
• Be available to start their academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September/October 2021
• By October 2021, hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) standard, or a second-class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree).
• Not have studied or worked for one (academic) year or more in a high-income country (for CSC purposes this is classified as a country which does not appear on the DAC list of ODA recipients.
• Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship (note the university may be asked to state its procedures for verifying applicants’ financial status).
• Commit to return to their home country within one month of the end date of their scholarship
Please note These eligibility criteria are current as of October 2020 and are subject to minor changes.
Eligible countries
Bangladesh; Cameroon; Eswatini; The Gambia; Ghana; India; Kenya; Kiribati; Lesotho; Malawi; Mozambique; Nigeria; Pakistan; Papua New Guinea; Rwanda; Sierra Leone; Solomon Islands; Sri Lanka; Tanzania; Tuvalu; Uganda; Vanuatu; Zambia
Prof. Nadine Holdsworth's latest article has been published in RiDE
Prof. Nadine Holdsworth's article 'Disrupting Monopoly: Homelessness, Gamification and Learned Resourcefulness' has just been published in @ride_journal (Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance), Volume 26 Issue 1.
A Window on Applied and Socially Engaged Performance at Warwick – 24th February 5-6pm.
Join us online to find out more about the projects and research we are leading, the kinds of applied and socially engaged work that takes place at Warwick, and the communities we are connected to. We will explore what it means to be involved in social action through theatre and performance today, and what challenges and possibilities we are presented with.
We will begin the event by hearing from a panel of practitioners and academics at Warwick. They will share examples of their recent practice and research. We will then open up for a discussion relating to applied and socially-engaged performance.You will also be able to ask further questions you may have concerning the MA Applied Theatre: Arts, Action, Change.
The panel will include:
Max Dean, a PhD researcher at Warwick and Director at C&T, one of the Associate Companies for the MA. C&T combines applied theatre methodologies with digital technologies to explore and grow creativity with children and adults.
Saul Hewish, one of the country's leading practitioners in the use of drama and theatre with offenders. In 1999 he co-founded RideOut (Creative Arts for Rehabilitation), which develops innovative and experimental arts-based projects within the criminal justice system.
Professor Nadine Holdsworth, whose research spans questions of representation, participation, citizenship, political change and cultural value. She explores how theatre, performance and arts-based methodologies can be used to illuminate pressing social issues and marginalised groups.
Dr Yvette Hutchison, a South African academic whose work focuses on Anglophone African theatre, dance and intercultural performance. She has taught on and worked in various theatre for development and community theatre projects in Africa and the UK.
The session will be chaired by Dr Bobby Smith, a researcher and practitioner whose current work focuses on applied theatre and global development.
Confirm your attendance here https://your.warwick.ac.uk/form/spotlightontheatre